Verbs

The infinite tense is marked by å in Norwegian. This tense is the most basic form of the verb. Verbs in this form might sometimes work as a noun, as in 'Å svømme er hobbyen min' where Å svømme is the subject. Most of them end in-e, but there are some exceptions to this rule e.g. (å gå, å bo, å ri).

When we use the infinite tense:

1. After a modal auxiliary gives infinite without å (bør, burde, kan, kunne, må, måtte, skal, skulle, tør, torde, vil, ville)

2. After these verbs in any form gives å + infinite(å begynne, å bruke, å foretrekke, å forsøke, å greie, å klare, å like, å ønske, å pleie, å prøve, å orke, å slutte, å starte, å tenke).

3. When we treat it as a noun.

Examples after rule

Jeg bør gå hjem (1)

I should go home

Vi kunne stått opp (1)

We could wake up

Han må vaske huset (1)

He must wash the house

Kvinnen skal se TV (1)

The woman shall watch TV

Gutten begynner å gråte (2)

The boy starts to cry

De forsøker å jukse (2)

They are trying to cheat

Per tenkte å danse(2)

Per thought(planned) to dance

Jenten har ønsket å ri (2)

The girl has wished to ride

Å tenke er viktig (3)

To think is important

Alle liker å sove(2/3)

Everybody likes to sleep

Min hobby er å spille(3)

My hobby is to play

Barna ser frem til å åpne pakker (3)

The children look forward to opening gifts

The present tense tells us about what is happening right now, or events that are happening at any time (the earth is round). The present tense can also express past and future, see more under Present perfect and Present futurum. Regular verbs add -r to the infinite form. Some irregular verbs are worth memorising. Such as(to be, to do, to ask, to say, to know). Norwegian does not have a present continuous form, but we can use ligge, stå or sitte + present form to express ongoing action.

Regular verbs

Hun vasker håret

She washes her hair

Gutten kommer på besøk

The boy comes to visit

De kaster ut søpla

They throw away the trash

Bandet spiller musikk

The band plays music

Vi har kjæledyr

We have pets

Ongoing action

Han står og ser

He is looking

De sitter og spiller

They are playing

Vi ligger og hviler

We are resting

Elevene sitter og leser

The students are reading

Pakkene ligger og venter

The presents are waiting

Irregular verbs

Jeg er gammel

I am old

Vi gjør en rampestrek

We do a prank

Mannen spør om veien

The man asks about the way

Damen sier den koster 15kr

The lady says it costs 15kr

Katten vet hvor musen er

The cat knows where the mouse is

The past tense is used when talking about events in the past. Regular verbs are split into four groups depending on the ending they take in this tense. There are some general rules for placement, however there are exceptions.

Some verbs that do not end in -e in the infinite tense get a -dde ending. Many verbs with v or ei in them will get -de ending. Most verbs with one consonant and some with double consonant will get the -te ending. Lastly, most words with double consonant before -e and some words with d, g or t will get -et ending in the past tense. Irregular verbs often get a vowel change in this tense.

It is also worth noting that Norwegian does not include a continuous form, but this can be indicated by including å sitte, å stå or å ligge + the past form of the verb.

Rules for when we use past tense

1. When time is specified in the past (Context can also specify time)

2. When a the beginning of sentence includes 'Når(when)'

3. When a clause includes 'da(then)'

Example sentences after group and rule

Jeg hadde et fint år i fjor(1)

I had a nice year last year

Damen bodde i Begen(1)

The lady lived in Bergen

Når eide mannen et hus?(2)

When did the man own a house?

Når hun prøvde jakken på(2)

When she tried the jacket on

Da hun begynte på skolen(3)

When she began school

Da vi stod og ventet(3)

When we were waiting

Dere kjøpte klær forrige uke(1)

You bought clothes last week

Når tenkte du på det?(2)

When did you think of that?

Jeg vasket kjøkkenet på fredag(1)

I washed the kitchen on friday

Da takket vi han for hjelpen(3)

Then we thanked him for the help

Jenten gjorde ingenting på mandag(1)

The girl did nothing on monday

Når han løp, gikk det fort(2)

When he ran, it went fast

The present perfect is another way to express past in Norwegian. This tense is formed by using the present of to have har, and the perfect participle.

There are four different endings these verbs take on -dd, -d, -t and -et. These groups more or less correspond to the ones in the past tense. Irregular verbs often have a vowel change.

When to use this tense:

1. When time is unspecified or irrelevant

2. If the defined time includes now

3. About something in the past that we still do

Examples after group and rule:

Vi har bodd i Norge hele livet (3)

We have lived in Norway our whole life

Hun har trodd på meg (1)

She has belived in me

Jeg har prøvd å spørre(1)

I have tried to ask

Hun har eid gården i tretti år(3)

She has owned the farm for thirty yrs

Gutten har imponert denne uken(2)

The boy has impressed this week

Katten har ventet på mat lenge(3)

The cat has waited for food a long time

Mannen har laget et skur (1)

The man has made a shed

I dag har hun danset mye(2)

Today she has danced much

This is the tense we use when talking about something that is planned or something that will happen in the future. It is formed by using the present form of a modal auxiliary(the most common being skal and vil), and the infinite tense of the main verb.

Example sentences:

Askepott skal gå på ballet

Cinderella is going to the ball

Mannen vil kjøpe ett blomsterbed

The man wants to buy one flowerbed

Vi bør sjekke værmeldingen

We should check the weatherforecast

This tense is used mostly when you are expressing future from a viewpoint in the past(1). However, it can also be used when the conditions surrounding an action is the main focus(2).

This tense is created by using the preterite form of a modal auxiliary(most common skulle and ville) and the infinite form of the main verb

Example sentences:

De skulle dra hjem(1)

They were going home

Hun skulle dra til bakeren dagen etter(1)

She was going to the baker the day after

Vi skulle dra hjem(1)

We were going to go home

Jeg ville løpe 500m om jeg fikk lov(2)

I wanted to run the 500m if I was allowed

Vi skulle til bestemor, hvis det var trygt(2)

We were going to grandma, if it was safe

Han ville gjøre det om det var tid(2)

He wanted to do it if there was time

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