Lesson goal
Learn to form and understand the presens form of common verbs. In this lesson, we use the present tense for simple statements about work, place of living, studies, food, habits, and everyday actions.
New vocabulary
jobber — works / work / work
bor — lives / live / live
snakker — speaks / speak / speak
studerer — studies / study
spiser — eats / eat / eat
drikker — drinks / drink / drink
kommer — comes / arrives
går — goes / walks
Useful phrases
Jeg jobber i Oslo. — I work in Oslo.
Han bor i Bergen. — He lives in Bergen.
Vi spiser middag klokka seks. — We eat dinner at six o’clock.
De snakker norsk hjemme. — They speak Norwegian at home.
Jeg studerer norsk. — I study Norwegian.
Hun drikker kaffe om morgenen. — She drinks coffee in the morning.
Toget kommer snart. — The train arrives soon.
Han går til jobb. — He goes to work.
Grammar
The presens in Norwegian is formed simply: the ending -r is usually added to the verb stem. Compare: å jobbe → jobber, å bo → bor, å snakke → snakker, å studere → studerer, å spise → spiser, å drikke → drikker, å komme → kommer, å gå → går. In an affirmative sentence, the predicate usually stands in the second position: first the subject, then the verb in presens. Model: subject + verb + the rest of the sentence. For example: Jeg jobber i Oslo. The verb form in presens does not change by person or number: jeg bor, du bor, han bor, vi bor. This tense is used for regular actions, habits, facts, and things that usually happen or are happening now in a general sense.
Examples
Jeg bor i Oslo. — I live in Oslo.
Du snakker norsk veldig godt. — You speak Norwegian very well.
Han jobber på et kontor. — He works in an office.
Hun studerer på universitetet. — She studies at the university.
Vi drikker te om kvelden. — We drink tea in the evening.
De spiser frokost hjemme. — They eat breakfast at home.
Bussen kommer klokka åtte. — The bus arrives at eight o’clock.
Jeg går til skolen hver dag. — I go to school every day.
Maria bor i Bergen og jobber i sentrum. — Maria lives in Bergen and works in the city center.
Barna spiser middag sammen. — The children eat dinner together.
Læreren snakker tydelig. — The teacher speaks clearly.
Vi kommer hjem sent. — We come home late.