In an earlier lesson, we went over numbers and how to count in Norwegian. In this lesson, we’ll be focused on how to tell time in Norwegian and different daily activities.
Telling Time
One of the most useful things to know, in any language you learn, is how to tell time, whether it’s so you can meet with friends, catch a train or bus, go to the movies, etc. Let’s first look at how Norwegians break the day up into different parts.
Time of day (note: this is just a general guideline):
Morgen |
06.00 to 09.00 |
Natt |
Midnight to 06.00 |
Formiddag |
09.00 to 12.00 |
Midnatt |
00:00 |
Ettermiddag |
12.00 to 18.00 |
Døgn |
24 hours; one full day and night |
Kveld |
18.00 to midnight |
(Table 1)
Hva er klokka? (What time is it?)
In Norwegian, both the 12 hour clock and 24 hour clock are used, depending on the situation. Typically, the 24 hour clock is used in writing and verbally for news, appointments, schedules, etc. Hours and minutes are usually separated by a dot or colon, and sometimes also by making the minutes superscript: 13.46, 13:46, 13^46^
If using the 12 hour clock, 9am would be just “klokka ni” but for 9pm, you could add “om kvelden,” to clarify, if needed. (Note: For afternoon, it’s “på ettermiddagen”).
7am |
Klokka 7 |
7 om morgenen |
1pm |
Klokka 1 |
1 på ettermiddagen |
8pm |
Klokka 8 |
8 om kvelden |
When the time is at the half-hour mark, Norwegians think ahead to the next hour; think of it as “halfway til.”
2:30 |
Halv tre |
5:30 |
Halv seks |
9:30 |
Halv ti |
For 1 minute - 29 minutes after the hour, time can be expressed as “x minutes past x hour.” However, once it is 20 minutes after the hour, time can be expressed as “10 minutes til half x hour.”
2:05 |
Fem (minutter) over to |
-------------------------------- |
2:25 |
Tjuefem (minutter) over to (rarely used) |
Fem (minutter) på halv tre |
For time from 31 minutes - 59 minutes after the hour, time can be expressed as “x minutes til x hour.” However, for the first ten minutes after the half hour, time can be expressed as “x minutes after half x hour.”
2:35 |
Tjuefem (minutter) på tre (rarely used) |
Fem (minutter) over halv tre |
2:55 |
Fem (minutter) på tre |
-------------------------------- |
Usually time is rounded up or down to the nearest 5 minutes, however, if one needs to be specific about the precise time, then one can use this format:
09:24 |
Ni tjuefire |
13:38 |
Tretten trettiåtte |
21:12 |
Tjueén tolv |
For quarter hours, one would use “kvart over” (quarter after) or “kvart på” (quarter til).
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
Han ankom (kl.) kvart over ti. |
He arrived at 10:15. |
Festen begynner (kl.) kvart på to (om ettermiddagen). |
The party begins at 13:45. |
Let’s look at some more examples:
| 9:00 | Klokka ni | 9:05 | (Klokka) fem (minutter) over ni |
|---|---|---|---|
9:10 |
(Klokka) ti (minutter) over ni |
9:15 |
(Klokka) kvart over ni |
9:23 |
(Klokka) fem (minutter) på halv ti. (note: rounded up). |
9:30 |
(Klokka) halv ti |
(Klokka) ni tjuetre. |
|||
9:35 |
(Klokka) fem (minutter) over halv ti |
9:40 |
(Klokka) ti (minutter) over halv ti. |
9:45 |
(Klokka) kvart på ti. |
9:55 |
(Klokka) fem (minutter) på ti |
(Table 2)
Prepositions
Prepositions can be tricky when learning a language. Here’s how prepositions are used for time in Norwegian.
| Preposition | Usage | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
I |
Past |
Jeg besøkte vennen min i går. |
I visited my friend yesterday. |
Hun var syk i to dager. |
She was sick for two days. |
||
Jeg spiste egg i går morges. |
I ate eggs yesterday morning. |
||
Kollegaen min har vært på ferie i tre dager. |
My coworker has been on vacation for 3 days. |
||
Present |
Emil jobber i butikken i dag. |
Emil is working in the shop today. |
|
Future |
De skal være her i to måneder. |
They will be here for two months. |
|
Til |
Future |
Jeg skal besøke bestemoren min til våren. |
I will visit my grandmother this spring. |
Om |
Something that occurs every time. |
Jeg svømmer om sommeren. |
I go swimming in the summer. |
Erik drikker kaffe om morgenen. |
Erik drinks coffee in the morning. |
||
Future |
De skal være her om to måneder. |
They will be here in two months. |
|
Vi skal flytte om to dager. |
We will move in two days. |
||
På |
Past |
Jeg så musen på tirsdag |
I saw the mouse on (this past) Tuesday. |
Future |
Jeg skal se vennen min på tirsdag. |
I will see my friend on (this coming) Tuesday. |
|
Something that occurs every time. |
Jeg besøker faren min på tirsdager. |
I visit my dad on Tuesdays. |
|
Jeg har te med vennen min på onsdager. |
I have tea with my friend on Wednesdays. |
||
For…siden |
Past (but no longer happening) |
Vi besøkte museet for to uker siden. |
We visited the museum two weeks ago. |
Emma dro til butikken for en time siden. |
Emma went to the store an hour ago. |
(Table 3)
If you want to express something happened the previous day, you include “går.”
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
Jeg spiste et eple i går morges. |
I ate an apple yesterday morning. |
Jeg spiste et eple i går ettermiddag. |
I ate an apple yesterday afternoon. |
If you want to refer to something that occurred earlier in the same day, there’s a few ways to express this.
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
Jeg spiste et eple i morges. (A bit formal, depending on dialect.) |
I ate an apple (earlier) today. |
Jeg spiste et eple tidligere i dag. |
|
Jeg spiste et eple i dag tidlig. |
Note: Do not confuse “i morgen tidlig” with “tidligere i morgen.” The former means “tomorrow morning.”
Other ways to refer to time periods
| Time | English | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
Sist |
Last |
Han kjøpte en katt sist uke. |
He bought a cat last week. |
Neste |
Next |
Neste uke skal hun bake en kake. |
Next week, she will bake a cake. |
Denne |
This |
Jeg vil gjerne besøke bestemoren min denne uken. |
I would like to visit my grandmother this week. |
Forrige |
Past / Previous |
I forrige uke kjøpte han en katt. |
The previous week he bought a cat. |
i forgårs |
The day before yesterday |
I forgårs kjøpte jeg en katt. |
The day before yesterday, I bought a cat. |
i overimorgen / I overmorgen |
The day after tomorrow |
I over(i)morgen skal han bake en kake. |
The day after tomorrow, he will bake a cake. |
i timevis / i flere timer |
(something lasts) hours |
Han har spilt spillet i timevis nå. |
He has played the game for hours now. |
Han har spilt spillet i flere timer nå. |
|||
på dagevis / på flere dager |
(something lasts) days |
Jeg har ikke spilt spillet på dagevis. |
I have not played the game in days. |
Jeg har ikke spilt spillet på flere dager. |
|||
i ukevis / i flere uker |
(something lasts) weeks |
Hun har vært syk i ukevis. |
She has been sick for weeks. |
Hun har vært syk i flere uker. |
|||
i månedsvis / i flere måneder. |
(something lasts) months |
Graviditet varer i månedsvis. |
Pregnancy lasts for (several) months. |
Graviditet varer i flere måneder. |
|||
i årevis / i flere år |
(something lasts) many years |
Jeg har ikke sett ham på årevis. |
I have not seen him in many years. |
Jeg har ikke sett ham på flere år. |
|||
i fjor |
Last year |
Anna ferierte i Italia i fjor. |
Anna vacationed in Italy last year. |
i tide |
On time |
Jeg kommer aldri i tide. |
I am never on time. |
(Table 4)
Phrases & Idioms
There are many different phrases that one should know when referring to time. There are also idioms that languages often have that express lengths of time.
Hva er klokka? |
What time is it? |
Klokka er… |
It is….(insert time) |
Når åpner butikken? |
What time does the store open? |
Når stenger det? |
When does it close? |
Når starter filmen? |
When does the movie start? |
Når begynner det? |
What time does it begin? |
Når slutter det? |
When does it end? |
Hvor lenge varer det? |
How long does it last? |
Når kommer toget / bussen? |
When does the train / bus arrive? |
Når går toget / bussen? |
When does the train / bus leave? |
Er toget / flyet i tide? |
Is the train / plane on time? |
Er toget / flyet forsinket? |
Is the train / plane delayed? |
Taxien kommer om 10 minutter. |
The taxi will arrive in 10 minutes. |
Flyet er én time forsinket. |
The flight has an hour delay. |
Det tar 10 minutter. |
It takes 10 minutes. |
Bussen gikk for 10 minutter siden. |
The bus left 10 minutes ago. |
Det var en gang… |
Once upon a time |
År og dag. F. eks: Jeg har ikke sett deg på år og dag. |
“A long time” Ex: I haven’t seen you for a long time. |
Ørten år siden F. eks: Noen ganger leser jeg bøker jeg likte for ørten år siden, for å se om de fortsatt er gode. |
Unspecified number of years ago. Ex: “Sometimes I read books I liked years ago, to see if they are still good.” |
(Table 5)
Daily Activities
Often, during conversations, we may talk about things we did that day (or the day before), for example, “Kattene mine vekket meg kl. 6 i morges.” (My cats woke me up at 6am this morning.) Here are some “daily activities” that may come up in conversations.
Å våkne opp |
To wake up |
Å vekke (opp) |
To wake (someone else) up |
Å ta en lur |
To take a nap |
Å re opp sengen |
To make the bed |
Å kle av seg |
To undress oneself |
Å kle på seg |
To dress oneself |
Å vaske seg |
To wash oneself |
Å bade |
To bathe oneself |
Å barbere seg |
To shave |
Å pusse tennene sine |
To brush one’s teeth |
Å ta på seg sokker / sko |
To put on socks / shoes |
Å ta på seg tøfler |
To put on slippers |
Å lage frokost / lunsj / middag |
To make breakfast / lunch / dinner |
Å lage kaffe |
To make coffee |
Å spise frokost |
To eat breakfast |
Å lese avisen |
To read the newspaper |
Å ta på seg en jakke / frakk |
To put on a coat |
Å lukke / låse døren |
To close / lock the door |
Å vaske klær |
_To wash clothes |
Å vaske opp / å ta oppvasken |
To wash dishes |
Å feie / moppe gulvet |
To sweep / mop the floor |
Å støvsuge |
To vacuum |
Å ta ut søppelet |
To take out the garbage |
Å gå tur med hunden |
To walk the dog |
Å løpe ærend |
To run errands |
Å kjøpe (daglig)varer |
To buy groceries |
Å tørke støv |
To dust |
Å vaske / rengjøre kjøkkenet |
To clean the kitchen |
Å vaske / rengjøre badet |
To clean the bathroom |
Å vaske / rengjøre / rydde stua |
To clean the living room |
Å vaske / rengjøre / rydde soverommet |
To clean the bedroom |
Å hente posten |
To pick up the mail |
Å gå / dra på jobb |
To go to work |
(Table 6)
Measurements
When cooking or crafting something, you may need to take measurements. So let’s look at some measurements in Norwegian.
⅛ |
En åttendedel |
⅔ |
To tredjedeler |
¼ |
En kvart / En fjerdedel |
¾ |
Trekvart / Tre fjerdedeler |
⅓ |
En tredjedel |
1½ |
En-og-en-halv / Halvannen |
½ |
En halv |
2½ |
To-og-en-halv (etc) |
(Table 7)
**If the lesson was beneficial, please consider buying me a virtual coffee. Thanks.**
Resources:
Exercise 1: Write out the times on these clocks.
Exercise 2: Write 5 sentences; 2 of the sentences should use time periods (from table 4).