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The imperative: Kom! Spis!

You use the imperative to tell someone to do something. The form is simple: the infinitive without -e.

We teach BokmÄl, the written standard most people in Norway use.

What is this about?

The imperative is the form you use to tell someone to do something: «Kom!» (Come!), «Vent!» (Wait!), «Sett deg!» (Sit down!). You meet it in instructions, advice, recipes and on signs.

In Norwegian the imperative is easy to make. Take the infinitive and drop the final -e: «Ä spise» becomes «Spis!» (Eat!), «Ä vente» becomes «Vent!» (Wait!). Short verbs stay as they are: «GÄ!» (Go!), «Se!» (Look!). The form is the same for one person or many: «Kom hit, alle sammen!» (Come here, everyone!) To tell someone not to do something, put «ikke» first: «Ikke glem nÞklene!» (Don't forget the keys!)

English imperatives are just the bare verb, and Norwegian is just as simple – there's not even a «do» in «Don't». A bare imperative can sound a bit blunt, so Norwegians often soften it with «bare» or «gjerne», or ask a question instead: «Kan du lukke dĂžra?» (Could you close the door?)

Rules

  1. Drop the -e of the infinitive: Ă„ spise → Spis! (eat) Ă„ vente → Vent! (wait) Ă„ snakke → Snakk! (speak)
  2. Verbs that don't end in -e stay the same: Ă„ gĂ„ → GĂ„! (go) Ă„ se → Se! (look) Ă„ bo → Bo! (live)
  3. A double consonant at the end becomes single: Ă„ komme → Kom! (come) Ă„ glemme → Glem! (forget). Exceptions: kk and tt stay: Snakk! Sitt!
  4. Irregular: Ă„ vĂŠre → VĂŠr! (be) – VĂŠr sĂ„ snill! (please)
  5. The imperative is the same for one person and several: Kom hit! (you) – Kom hit, alle sammen! (all of you)
  6. Negation: ikke before the verb. Ikke glem nþklene! – Don't forget the keys! Ikke vér redd! – Don't be afraid!
  7. Soften it with da, nĂ„ or bare: Kom nĂ„! Sett deg bare ned. – Just sit down.
  8. Polite: ask a question with kan or vil: Kan du lukke dþra? – Can you close the door? Vil du sende meg saltet? – Would you pass me the salt?
  9. More polite still: Kunne du hjelpe meg? – Could you help me? Note: Norwegians use “please” far less than English speakers. Kan du 
? is polite enough.

Examples

  • Kom inn og sett deg!Come in and sit down!
  • Ikke glem Ă„ lĂ„se dĂžra!Don't forget to lock the door!
  • Vent litt, jeg kommer straks.Wait a moment, I'll be right there.
  • VĂŠr sĂ„ snill og snakk litt saktere.Please speak a bit more slowly.
  • Kan du hjelpe meg med kofferten?Can you help me with the suitcase?
  • Ring meg nĂ„r du er framme.Call me when you get there.
  • Ikke vĂŠr redd, hunden biter ikke.Don't be afraid, the dog doesn't bite.
  • HĂžr her, alle sammen!Listen up, everyone!

Practise with a test (A1) Translate into Norwegian

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