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 |
Sofia ryddet huset i går. |
Sofia cleaned up the house yesterday. |
Jakob spilte Minecraft da han var barn. |
Jakob played Minecraft when he was a child. |
|
V2 |
I går ryddet Sofia huset. |
Yesterday, Sofia cleaned up the house. |
Da Jakob var barn, spilte han Minecraft. |
When Jakob was a child, he played Minecraft. |
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 kjøre |
Kjører |
Drive(s) |
Å sykle |
Sykler |
Bike(s) |
Å reise |
Reiser |
Travel(s) |
Å besøke |
Besøker |
Visit(s) |
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 |
Jeg jobber på søndag. |
I work on Sunday. |
Den nye kinoen åpner neste uke. |
The new cinema opens next week. |
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 morsom gutt |
A funny boy |
Morsomme gutter |
Funny boys |
En rød sirkel |
A red circle |
Røde sirkler |
Red circles |
|
Feminine |
Ei morsom jente |
A funny girl |
Morsomme jenter |
Funny girls |
Ei rød badedrakt |
A red swimsuit |
Røde badedrakter |
Red swimsuits |
|
Neuter |
Et morsomt barn |
A funny child |
Morsomme barn |
Funny children |
Et rødt jordbær |
A red strawberry |
Røde jordbær |
Red strawberries |
|
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 morsomme gutten |
The funny boy |
De morsomme guttene |
The funny boys |
Denne røde sirkelen |
This red circle |
Disse røde sirklene |
These red circles |
|
Feminine |
Den morsomme jenta |
The funny girl |
De morsomme jentene |
The funny girls |
Denne røde badedrakta |
This red swimsuit |
Disse røde badedraktene |
These red swimsuits |
|
Neuter |
Det morsomme barnet |
The funny child |
De morsomme barna |
The funny children |
Dette røde jordbæret |
This red strawberry |
Disse røde jordbærene |
These red strawberries |
|
How to Change
In Norwegian, there are several words that translate into English as “change,” however they are used in different ways.
| Verb | Use | Eksempel | English |
|---|---|---|---|
Endre |
To alter something |
Jeg endret et par ting på profilen min. |
I changed a few things in my profile. |
Forfatteren endret dialogen i kapittelet. |
The writer changed the dialogue in the chapter. |
||
Forandre seg |
Change, with regards to looks or manner of people |
Han har forandret seg mye siden i fjor. |
He has changed a lot since last year. |
Karina forandret seg helt, etter at hun flyttet til Oslo. |
Karina changed completely after she moved to Oslo. |
||
Skifte |
To change trains, clothes, gears (in a car) etc. |
Mannen skiftet buss i Trondheim. |
The man changed buses in Trondheim. |
Erik skiftet klær etter jobb. |
Erik changed clothes after work. |
||
Bytte |
To exchange; to trade; to swap |
De byttet bøker med hverandre. |
They exchanged books with each other. |
Faren min og moren min byttet plass med hverandre. |
My father and my mother changed / traded places with each other. |
NOTE: If one wants to say “to exchange money,” the verb is “å veksle” instead of “å bytte.”
How to Go
In English, we can use “to go” in many ways. When one says, in English, “I’m going to my mom’s house,” we don’t mean specifically that we are walking there (though, it can mean that). If one wants to express they are going somewhere, in Norwegian, but they are not walking, then there are other verbs one can use.
| Verb | Use | Eksempel | English |
|---|---|---|---|
Kjøre |
To go (by car; public transportation; etc); to drive |
Tobias kjørte med buss til Bergen. |
Tobias went by bus to Bergen. |
Maria kjørte til sin fars hus. |
Maria drove to her father’s house. |
||
Dra / Stikke |
To go |
Kvinnen dro til sin mors hus. |
The woman went to her mother’s house. |
Kan jeg stikke på rulleskøytebanen? |
Can I go to the roller skating rink? |
||
Reise |
To travel (longer distances) |
De reiste til Tyskland. |
They traveled to Germany. |
Vi reiser til Danmark neste helg. |
We’re travelling to Denmark next weekend. |
||
Gå |
To walk; progress of things |
Lukas gikk til parken. |
Lukas walked to the park. |
Det går fint. |
It’s going well. |
Fixed Expressions
There are a few fixed expressions in Norwegian that do use “å gå” but do not necessarily refer to walking:
| Expressions | English | Eksempel | English |
|---|---|---|---|
Gå på skole |
Attend school |
Datteren min går på skolen i byen. |
My daughter attends the school in the city. |
Gå på kino / konsert / teater |
Going to the cinema / concert / theatre |
Vi gikk på kino i går. |
We went to the cinema yesterday. |
Gå til sengs |
Go to bed |
Jeg er sliten så jeg går til sengs nå. |
I’m tired, so I’m going to bed now. |
Gå til legen |
Go to the doctor |
Hvis du er syk, gå til legen. |
If you are sick, go to the doctor. |
Gå i kirken |
Go to church |
Bestemoren min går i kirken hver søndag. |
My grandmother goes to church every Sunday. |
NOTE: It is common to use a directional adverb relative to the direction one is walking. Some directional adverbs, that one might use, are:
| Adverb | English | Eksempel | English |
|---|---|---|---|
Ned |
Down |
Tomas gikk ned til butikken. |
Tomas walked down to the shop. |
Opp |
Up |
Leah gikk opp bakken. |
Leah walked up the hill. |
Bort |
Away (over) |
Emma går bort til huset hans nå. |
Emma is going over to his house now. |
Dra and gå have a few other meanings as well.
| Verb | Use | Eksempel | English |
|---|---|---|---|
Å dra + obj |
To pull or to drag |
Lukas drar en slede opp bakken. |
Lukas is pulling a sled up the hill. |
Jeg drar ham med meg. |
I’m dragging him with me. |
||
Å gå |
To succeed or to express that something worked out |
Det går jo ikke! |
It’s not possible! |
Ja! Det gikk! |
Yes! It worked! |
NOTE: One can also use “å dra til + obj” to mean “to punch” however it is dated and most just use “å slå” instead. I’m just mentioning it in case you come across it (like in an old movie or something).
To leave
“Å gå” can also be used when expressing that you are leaving someplace. “Å dra avsted” and “å dra av gårde” can also be used to express this concept.
| Phrase | Eksempel | English |
|---|---|---|
Å gå |
Jeg må gå kl. 13. |
I have to go / leave at 1pm. |
Slå av lysene når du går. |
Turn off the light when you go / leave. |
|
Å dra avsted |
Liam må dra avsted kl. 8. |
Liam has to go / leave at 8. |
Å dra av gårde |
De spiste middag og etterpå dro de av gårde. |
They ate dinner and afterwards they left. |
Phrases
Lastly, there are a few phrases that use “å gå” that don’t have anything to do with travel. Here are some examples.
| Phrase | English | Eksempel | English |
|---|---|---|---|
Å gå i stykker |
To break (an object) |
Tekoppen gikk i stykker. |
The teacup broke. |
Å gå ut på |
To be about something |
Oppgaven hans går ut på klimaforandringer. |
His thesis is about climate change. |
Å gå utover |
To have a negative effect on something |
Sigaretter går utover ens helse. |
Cigarettes have a negative effect on one’s health. |
NOTE: In English, we can say someone is “going bald,” but in Norwegian you would not say this. Instead, one would say someone is “becoming bald.”
Ex: Han blir skallet
He is becoming bald.
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Resources:
Exercise: Write 6 sentences; 3 using “how to change” and 3 using “how to go.”