Lesson goal
In this lesson, you will get your first introduction to the passive voice in Norwegian. You will learn to recognize and understand two basic patterns: the short -s form and the construction with bli + participle, which often appear in notices, messages, and neutral descriptions of actions.
New vocabulary
selges — is sold, are sold
åpnes — is opened, are opened
stenges — is closed, are closed
brukes — is used, are used
blir laget — is made, is prepared
blir sendt — is sent
blir sagt — is said
blir gjort — is done
Useful phrases
Butikken åpnes klokka ni. — The shop opens at nine o’clock.
Kaffe selges her. — Coffee is sold here.
Maten blir laget hjemme. — The food is prepared at home.
Det blir sagt ofte. — It is often said.
Døren stenges klokka ti. — The door closes at ten o’clock.
Norsk brukes på jobb. — Norwegian is used at work.
Brevet blir sendt i dag. — The letter will be sent today / is being sent today.
Det blir gjort senere. — It will be done later.
Grammar
The passive is used when the action itself is important, not the person who performs it. At the A2 level, it is enough to distinguish between two patterns. The first is the -s form: -s is added to the verb in the present tense, for example selger → selges, åpner → åpnes, stenger → stenges, bruker → brukes. This form often appears in short messages, on signs, and in neutral descriptions. The second pattern is bli + participle: blir laget, blir sendt, blir sagt, blir gjort. Here blir shows the present tense, and the participle names the result of the action. Both patterns are often translated into English in the same way: “is sold,” “is opened,” “is done.” At this stage, it is important not to build complicated rules, but to learn to recognize the passive and understand that the performer of the action is not named or is not important.
Examples
Brød selges her. — Bread is sold here.
Skolen åpnes klokka åtte. — The school opens at eight o’clock.
Butikken stenges tidlig. — The shop closes early.
Engelsk brukes mye. — English is used a lot.
Middagen blir laget hjemme. — Dinner is prepared at home.
Pakken blir sendt i morgen. — The package will be sent tomorrow.
Det blir sagt i møtet. — It is said in the meeting.
Arbeidet blir gjort i dag. — The work is done today.
Kaffe og te selges der. — Coffee and tea are sold there.
Døren åpnes automatisk. — The door opens automatically.