Where are you going? Learn til, fra, mot, gjennom, forbi, langs, rundt, over, inn i and ut av, plus hjem versus hjemme.
Prepositions of direction describe movement. They don't answer «Where are you?» but «Where are you going?» and «Where are you coming from?». They tell you where a trip starts, where it ends and which way you go.
Norwegian has a word for each part of the route, like «fra Bergen» (from Bergen), «til Oslo» (to Oslo), «gjennom tunnelen» (through the tunnel) and «forbi kirka» (past the church). When you cross from outside to inside or back, you add inn or ut. So «Hun går inn i butikken» is «she goes into the shop», and «Han går ut av huset» is «he goes out of the house».
English is a good guide here, because to, from, through, past, along, around and into all have clear partners. Watch out for three things. Norwegian over also covers «across», so across the street is «over gata». Mot means both «towards» and «against». And English «home» is one word for two ideas, while Norwegian splits it into «Jeg går hjem» (I'm going home) and «Jeg er hjemme» (I'm at home).
You'll need these words to ask the way, buy a ticket or follow the announcements at the station. «Toget mot Drammen går fra spor 3» means the train towards Drammen leaves from platform 3.
Til marks the destination, where you're going: til Oslo, til butikken (to the shop), til legen (to the doctor). With places that normally take på, Norwegians often keep på for movement too, as in «Jeg skal på jobb» (I'm off to work).
Fra marks the starting point, for countries and towns («Jeg kommer fra Polen», I'm from Poland) and for places you leave («Bussen går fra torget», the bus leaves from the square). Fra and til often come as a pair, as in fra Oslo til Bergen.
Mot shows the direction, not necessarily the end point, so «toget mot Drammen» (the train towards Drammen) may go further. Mot also means «against», as in «medisin mot hodepine» (medicine for a headache).
Gjennom means in at one side and out at the other, through a tunnel, a forest or a park. If you only cross a road, use over.
Forbi means you pass something without stopping. You hear it all the time in directions, like «Gå forbi kirka og ta til venstre» (go past the church and turn left).
Langs means alongside something long, in the same direction, like a river, a road, a beach or a fence.
Rundt means in a circle around something, or round a corner. It can also mean «about», as in rundt tjue personer (about twenty people).
Over means from one side to the other, across the street, over the bridge or over the mountains. Over can also show a place (the lamp hangs over the table), but here it's about movement.
Inn i shows movement from outside to inside. Compare «Han er i butikken» (he's in the shop) with «Han går inn i butikken» (he goes into the shop).
Ut av shows movement from inside to outside. For getting off a bus, train or tram you usually just say av, as in «Jeg går av her» (I'm getting off here).
Opp shows upward movement, up the stairs, up to the attic or up the hill. Once you're there, say oppe, as in «Hun er oppe på loftet» (she's up in the attic).
Ned shows downward movement, down the stairs, down to the basement or down to the sea. Once you're there, say nede, as in «Sykkelen står nede i kjelleren» (the bike is down in the basement).
The short form shows movement, the -e form shows place. That goes for hjem/hjemme, inn/inne, ut/ute, opp/oppe and ned/nede. The lesson on direction and location has all the pairs.
Home splits in two. «✗ Jeg er hjem» «✓ Jeg er hjemme» (I'm home), but «✓ Jeg går hjem» (I'm going home).
Don't put til in front of home. «✗ Jeg går til hjem» «✓ Jeg går hjem».
Across a street is over, not gjennom. «✗ Gå gjennom gata» «✓ Gå over gata».
Into needs both words. «Katten løp i huset» means it ran around inside, while «✓ Katten løp inn i huset» means it ran into the house.
Choose the right preposition. You see the answer with audio and an explanation right away.
Jeg skal ___ legen klokka ti.
Jeg skal til legen klokka ti.
I'm going to the doctor at ten.
💡 You're on your way to a person, so it's movement and you use til.
Hun kommer ___ Spania.
Hun kommer fra Spania.
She's from Spain.
💡 Fra shows where something starts, including the country you come from.
Toget ___ Drammen går fra spor 3.
Toget mot Drammen går fra spor 3.
The train towards Drammen leaves from platform 3.
💡 Mot shows which direction the train is going.
Toget kjører ___ en lang tunnel.
Toget kjører gjennom en lang tunnel.
The train goes through a long tunnel.
💡 The train goes in at one end and out at the other, and that's gjennom.
Gå ___ gata i gangfeltet.
Gå over gata i gangfeltet.
Cross the street at the zebra crossing.
💡 You cross from one side of the street to the other, so you say over.
Bussen kjørte rett ___ meg uten å stoppe.
Bussen kjørte rett forbi meg uten å stoppe.
The bus drove right past me without stopping.
💡 Forbi means passing something without stopping.
Vi gikk en lang tur ___ elva, helt ned til sjøen.
Vi gikk en lang tur langs elva, helt ned til sjøen.
We went for a long walk along the river, all the way down to the sea.
💡 You walked beside the river in the same direction, and that's langs.
Det regnet, så katten løp ___ huset.
Det regnet, så katten løp inn i huset.
It was raining, so the cat ran into the house.
💡 The cat moves from outside to inside, so you need inn i.
Jeg kommer ___ klokka fem i dag.
Jeg kommer hjem klokka fem i dag.
I'll be home at five today.
💡 Komme is movement, so you use the short form hjem.
Pizzaen er ferdig, så ta den ___ ovnen.
Pizzaen er ferdig, så ta den ut av ovnen.
The pizza is ready, so take it out of the oven.
💡 The pizza goes from inside the oven to outside, and that's ut av.
Verbs with prepositions → · Adjectives with prepositions → · Particle verbs →
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