Language/Norwegian-bokmal/Grammar/Present-tense-verbs
As a Norwegian Bokmål language teacher of 20 years, I am excited to help you master the present tense of Norwegian Bokmål verbs. This lesson is part of a larger course titled "Complete 0 to A1 Norwegian Bokmål Course," and is designed specifically for complete beginners. After mastering the present tense verbs, you’ll be able to describe present actions and states of being in Norwegian!
After mastering this lesson, these related pages might interest you: Future Tense & Personal Pronouns.
Understanding Verbs in Norwegian Bokmål
Before we dive into the present tense verbs, we’ll need to understand what verbs are in Norwegian Bokmål. A verb is a word that describes an action, occurrence, or state of being. It often indicates the time when the action occurred or will occur - the present, past, or future. Verbs are a crucial component of any language, and Norwegian Bokmål is no exception.
In Norwegian Bokmål, every verb has a base form or the present tense of a verb. For example, the base form of the verb "to eat" is "spiser" in Norwegian Bokmål. This base form can then be used to create the other tenses of the verb. To put it in perspective, the present tense simply describes an action that is happening right now.
Conjugating Present Tense Verbs
In Norwegian Bokmål, regular verbs in the present tense follow a predictable pattern. To conjugate a regular verb, you simply add the appropriate ending to the base form of the verb. For example, to conjugate the verb "å spise" (to eat) in the present tense, we add the following endings:
- Jeg spiser (I eat)
- Du spiser (You eat)
- Han/hun spiser (He/she eats)
- Vi spiser (We eat)
- Dere spiser (You (pl) eat)
- De spiser (They eat)
Remember that there are irregular verbs in Norwegian Bokmål as well. These verbs do not follow the predictable pattern, so it is essential to memorize them to use them correctly. A few examples of irregular verbs in Present Tense are:
- å være (to be)
- Jeg er (I am)
- Du er (You are)
- Han/hun er (He/she is)
- Vi er (We are)
- Dere er (You (pl) are)
- De er (They are)
- å ha (to have)
- Jeg har (I have)
- Du har (You have)
- Han/hun har (He/she has)
- Vi har (We have)
- Dere har (You (pl) have)
- De har (They have)
Making Sentences with Present Tense Verbs
Now that we have learned how to conjugate regular and irregular verbs, let's learn how to create simple sentences using present tense verbs in Norwegian Bokmål.
Here is an example of a simple sentence:
- Jeg spiser en eple. (I eat an apple.)
Here is another example sentence in negative form:
- Jeg spiser ikke en eple. (I am not eating an apple.)
Additionally, to form questions, you can simply swap the subject and the verb:
- Spiser du en eple? (Are you eating an apple?)
To add more complexity to a sentence, you can introduce adjectives and adverbs that describe the verb.
For example:
- Jeg spiser langsomt et deilig eple. (I eat slowly a delicious apple.)
Vocabulary
Here are some common verbs, along with their pronunciations and translations, that will help you master the present tense of Norwegian Bokmål verbs:
| Norwegian Bokmål | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| å se | oh seh | to see |
| å høre | oh høh-reh | to hear |
| å lese | oh leh-seh | to read |
| å skrive | oh skree-veh | to write |
| å drikke | oh drik-keh | to drink |
| å være | oh vae-reh | to be |
| å ha | oh hah | to have |
Practice
To master the present tense of Norwegian Bokmål verbs, here are some exercises to practice:
- Write ten essential sentences with the correct use of present tense verbs.
- Use these verbs in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences to get more practice.
Conclusion
As you can see, understanding and mastering the present tense of Norwegian Bokmål verbs is essential to progress in learning the language. Keep practicing with as many exercises as you can, and you’ll soon be able to describe the present action and state of being in Norwegian Bokmål with ease!
Upon wrapping up this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Definite and indefinite forms of nouns & Relative clauses.
Other Lessons
- Past tense verbs
- Indirect speech
- Definite and indefinite forms of nouns
- Formal writing and communication
- How to Use Be
- Advanced sentence structure and syntax
- Relative clauses
- Academic writing and research skills
- Negation
- Basic sentence structure