The four weak verb groups
Weak verbs take an ending in the past: -et, -te, -de or -dde. The consonants before the -e of the infinitive usually tell you the group.
We teach Bokmål, the written standard most people in Norway use.
What is this about?
When you talk about the past, the verb has to change form. Most Norwegian verbs do this in a regular way: they take an ending. These are called weak verbs, and they fall into four groups depending on the ending.
Group 1 takes -et: «Jeg snakket med sjefen» (I talked to the boss). Group 2 takes -te: «Vi spiste middag» (we ate dinner). Group 3 takes -de: «Hun prøvde igjen» (she tried again). Group 4 takes -dde: «De bodde i Trondheim» (they lived in Trondheim). The nice thing is that the verb itself often shows you the group: two consonants before the -e usually mean -et (snakke, jobbe), one consonant often means -te (spise, lese), and short verbs like «bo» and «tro» take -dde.
English has just one regular ending, -ed: worked, played, lived. Norwegian has four, but they're just as regular once you know the signs. Don't be afraid to guess, most new verbs you learn end up in group 1. With these four patterns you can tell people about your weekend, write a short email to the kindergarten or fill in a form about what you've done.
Rules
- Group 1 (-et): å kaste (throw) – kaster – kastet – har kastet. Also: snakke – snakket (speak), jobbe – jobbet (work), vaske – vasket (wash), åpne – åpnet (open).
- Sign: two or more consonants before the -e (st, kk, bb, sk, pn). This is the largest group. Informal Bokmål also allows -a: kasta.
- Group 2 (-te): å spise (eat) – spiser – spiste – har spist. Also: lese – leste – lest (read), kjøre – kjørte – kjørt (drive), reise – reiste – reist (travel).
- Sign: one consonant before the -e. A double l, n or m usually becomes single: spille – spilte – spilt (play), kjenne – kjente – kjent (know), glemme – glemte – glemt (forget).
- Group 3 (-de): å leve (live) – lever – levde – har levd. Also: prøve – prøvde – prøvd (try), bygge – bygde – bygd (build), eie – eide – eid (own).
- Sign: v or g before the -e, or a diphthong (ei, øy): leve, prøve, bygge, eie, pleie, greie.
- Group 4 (-dde): å bo (live) – bor – bodde – har bodd. Also: tro – trodde – trodd (believe), nå – nådde – nådd (reach), sy – sydde – sydd (sew).
- Sign: a short verb ending in a stressed vowel.
- The rule works often, not always: å bake – bakte (group 2). Learn every new verb together with its past form.
- The perfect is har + participle: -et (group 1), -t (2), -d (3, 4). The participle never changes with the subject: jeg har spist, de har spist.
Examples
- Vi snakket lenge i telefonen i går.We talked on the phone for a long time yesterday.
- Hun kjørte til jobben fordi det regnet.She drove to work because it was raining.
- Jeg har lest boka du ga meg.I've read the book you gave me.
- Besteforeldrene mine levde hele livet på landet.My grandparents lived in the countryside all their lives.
- De bygde huset selv.They built the house themselves.
- Vi bodde i Bergen i tre år.We lived in Bergen for three years.
- Jeg trodde ikke at du kom.I didn't think you were coming.
- Har du prøvd den nye kafeen?Have you tried the new café?