Grammar Review
Sentence structure
While most Norwegian sentences use the subject-verb-object (SVO) word order, like English does, Norwegian does have the V2 (verb second) rule. If an adverbial phrase or subordinate clause is at the front of the sentence, the subject and the verb have to switch places (this is called “inversion”) so that the verb stays in the second position.
| Eksempel | English | |
|---|---|---|
SVO |
Markus jobbet i hagen i går. |
Markus worked in the garden yesterday. |
Sofia svømte i havet da hun var ung. |
Sofia swam in the ocean when she was young. |
|
V2 |
I går jobbet Markus i hagen. |
Yesterday, Markus worked in the garden. |
Da Sofia var ung, svømte hun i havet. |
When Sofia was young, she swam in the ocean. |
Verb Conjugation
Conjugating present tense of verbs in Norwegian is fairly simple. Most present tense verbs just add an -r to the end of the infinitive.
Infinitive |
Present |
English |
Infinitive |
Present |
English |
Å svømme |
Svømmer |
Swim(s) |
Å sykle |
Sykler |
Bike(s) |
Å seile |
Seiler |
Sail(s) |
Å fiske |
Fisker |
Fish(es) |
There are some exceptions / irregulars:
Infinitive |
Present |
English |
Infinitive |
Present |
English |
Å kunne |
Kan |
To be able to |
Å måtte |
Må |
To have to |
Å skulle |
Skal |
To have to; to be going to |
Å ville |
Vil |
To want |
Å være |
Er |
To be |
Å vite |
Vet |
To know |
Past tense conjugation is a bit more difficult, however there are some guidelines (but keep in mind there are exceptions).
-
If the verb ends with a double consonant, consonant cluster, or voiced plosive (b / d), past tense will end in -et.
-
If the verb ends in a single consonant (except v / b / d), past tense ends in -te.
-
If the verb ends with v or diphthong, the past tense ends in -de.
-
If the verb has only one syllable with a long vowel, past tense ends in -dde.
Rule Number |
Infinitive |
Past Tense |
English |
1 |
Å snakke |
Snakket |
Talked |
Å ønske |
Ønsket |
Wished |
|
2 |
Å lære |
Lærte |
Learned |
Å kjøpe |
Kjøpte |
Bought |
|
3 |
Å leve |
Levde |
Lived |
Å pleie |
Pleide |
Used |
|
4 |
Å bo |
Bodde |
Lived |
For future tense, typically the present tense verb is used with a time adverbial to clarify it is a future action.
Eksempel |
English |
De drar hjem på søndag. |
They are going home on Sunday. |
Festivalen er neste helg. |
The festival is next weekend. |
Adjective Basics
Adjectives typically have to agree with the gender and the number of the noun.
| Singular Indefinite | Plural Indefinite | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Norwegian |
English |
Norwegian |
English |
|
Masculine |
En stor festival |
A big festival |
Store festivaler |
Big festivals |
En tom kopp |
An empty cup |
Tomme kopper |
Empty cups |
|
Feminine |
Ei stor bok |
A big book |
Store bøker |
Big books |
Ei tom bokhylle |
An empty bookshelf |
Tomme bokhyller |
Empty bookshelves |
|
Neuter |
Et stort bål |
A big bonfire |
Store bål |
Big bonfires |
Et tomt hus |
An empty house |
Tomme hus |
Empty houses |
|
When the noun is in the definite form, the adjective takes an -e ending (like in the plural indefinite above).
| Singular Definite | Plural Definite | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Norwegian |
English |
Norwegian |
English |
|
Masculine |
Den store festivalen |
The big festival |
De store festivalene |
The big festivals |
Denne tomme koppen |
This empty cup |
Disse tomme koppene |
These empty cups |
|
Feminine |
Den store boka |
The big book |
De store bøkene |
The big books |
Denne tomme bokhylla |
This empty bookshelf |
Disse tomme bokhyllene |
These empty bookshelves |
|
Neuter |
Det store bålet |
The big bonfire |
De store bålene |
The big bonfires |
Dette tomme huset |
This empty house |
Disse tomme husene |
These empty houses |
|
Summer in Norway
Summertime is a great time to be in Norway. Temperatures in Norway typically do not get above the 80s F (27 C), (however, lately Norway has been experiencing higher-than-normal temperatures in the summer). If you are in Norway in August, be prepared for plenty of rain. If you travel above the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set during the summer months. This phenomenon is called the midnight sun.
On 23 June, many Norwegians celebrate Sankthansaften (Midsummer Eve aka St John’s Eve). Many attend parties with big bonfires (sankthansbål), along the coast and up in the mountains. Some Norwegians will burn an effigy of a witch on the bonfire (this originated from German traditions).
With the long coastline and the beautiful mountains, summer is the perfect time for swimming, fishing, boating, hiking, and camping. Some Norwegians travel to “sommerbyer” (summer cities) along the coast. These places are made up of white wooden houses along the narrow streets.
For thrill seekers, there are a number of amusement parks in Norway, including Tusenfryd in Oslo and a water park called Bø Sommarland in Telemark. The entrance to Tusenfryd is reached via an escalator that goes through one of the loops of Speed Monster, one of Tusenfryd’s six coasters. The park also has a VR roller coaster called Steampunk Hunters, as well as what is considered possibly the world’s smallest roller coaster, at only 2.5 meters (8 ft) tall.
For music lovers, there are many music festivals that happen during the summer months. One of the biggest music festivals is the Øya Festival which takes place every August in Oslo and features indie, hip-hop, and electronic music. The Slottsfjell Festival focuses on pop and rock music and is held among the ruins of a medieval fortress in Tønsberg. The Bukta open air music festival is a 3 day event taking place every summer in Tromsø, featuring numerous rock artists. There are many other music festivals in Norway, focusing on different genres of music, such as jazz, blues, and contemporary music.
Summer Vocab
| English | Norsk | English | Norsk |
|---|---|---|---|
Amusement park |
Fornøyelsespark (en) |
August |
August |
Beach |
Strand (en) |
Beach ball |
Badeball (en) |
Blueberry |
Blåbær (et) |
Bonfire |
Bål (et) |
Campfire |
(Leir)Bål (et) |
Campground |
Campingplass (en) |
Canoe |
Kano (en) |
Cherry |
Kirsebær (et) |
Fan |
Vifte (en) |
Festival |
Festival (en) |
Flip-flops |
Flipflopper / Slipper |
Flower |
Blomst (en) |
Forest |
Skog (en) |
Garden |
Hage (en) |
Heat |
Varme |
Hot |
Varm(t) |
Holiday / Vacation |
Ferie |
Humidity |
Luftfuktighet (en) |
Ice cream |
Is(krem) |
July |
Juli |
June |
Juni |
Lawnmower |
Gressklipper (en) |
Lightning |
Lyn |
Lightning bug / Firefly |
Ildflue (et) |
Marshmallow |
Marshmallow (en) |
Ocean |
Hav (et) |
Outdoors |
Utendørs |
Outside |
Utenfor |
Parasol |
Parasoll |
Park |
Park (en) |
Picnic |
Piknik (en) |
Road trip |
Bilferie (en) |
Roller coaster |
Berg-og-dal-bane (en) |
Rose |
Rose (en) |
Sailboat |
Seilbåt (en) |
Sand |
Sand |
Sandals |
Sandaler |
Sandcastle |
Sandslott (et) |
Shorts |
Shorts (en) |
Sleeping bag |
Sovepose |
Strawberry |
Jordbær (et) |
Summer |
Sommer |
Sunburn |
Solbrenthet |
Sunflower |
Solsikke |
Sunglasses |
Solbriller |
Sunscreen |
Solkrem |
Sunshine |
Solskinn |
Suntan |
Solbrun |
Swimsuit / Bathing suit |
Badedrakt (ei) |
Swimming trunks |
Badebukse (ei) |
Tent |
Telt (et) |
T-shirt |
T-skjorte (ei) |
Thunder |
Torden |
Thunderstorm |
Tordenvær |
Undertow / Undercurrent |
Understrøm (en) |
Watermelon |
Vannmelon (en) |
Wave |
Bølge (en) |
“Outdoor beer” - A beer one takes outside to drink, when the weather is finally warm enough. |
Utepils |
“One time grill” - _ A small disposable grill one can carry with them to use at the park or wherever._ |
Engangsgrill (en) |
Verbs:
English |
Norsk |
English |
Norsk |
To bike |
Å sykle |
To build a sandcastle |
Å bygge et sandslott. |
To camp |
Å campe |
To fish |
Å fiske |
To garden |
Å jobbe i hagen |
To grill |
Å grille |
To mow the lawn |
Å klippe plenen |
To relax |
Å slappe av |
To sail (boat) |
Å seile |
To swim |
Å svømme |
To travel |
Å reise |
To visit |
Å besøke |
NOTE: In English, if one is good at growing plants and such, they are said to have a “green thumb.” In Norwegian, one has “grønne fingre” (green fingers).
Here are a few helpful phrases to know and use during summer:
Eksempel |
English |
Slikke sol |
To soak up the sun |
Sola skinner |
The sun is shining. |
Jeg svetter som en gris. |
I’m sweating like a pig. |
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Resources:
Exercise: Write a paragraph about what you did this summer.