Workbook for Norsk, nordmenn og Norge 1: Beginning Norwegian

VERB REVIEW

VERB REVIEW This review chapter deals with some basic aspects of verbs and the structure of sentences. Verbs (et verb) describe actions or states of being, like 'hit, run, have, feel.' Verbs can be in several forms, depending on how they are used. We will look at some of the forms here, and others in a later review chapter (pp.147-154). For each type we will discuss how to form it, and how it is used. THE INFINITIVE (en infinitiv) is the form you find in dictionaries and glossaries. It is, in a sense, the base or idealized form of the verb, not limited in time or by a subject. In English, 'to eat' does not tell you who is eating or when it happens. The infinitive is occasionally joined by the INFINITIVE MARKER (et infinitivsmerke), which is a in Norwegian and 'to' in English. In English, infinitives without the marker are hard to recognize. There is no special ending for them. Norwegian infinitives, however, always end in a vowel. For most verbs, this final vowel is an unstressed -e. But some verbs have stressed final syllables which can end with an -e or some other vowel. Up to this point in the textbook, the only use of the infinitive you have seen is after another verb, like Ziker a v~re or Z~rer a snakke. Other uses of the infinitive will be introduced later. THE PRESENT TENSE (presens) describes actions happening now, happening soon, or generally happening. The form of the present tense verb varies in English depending on the subject ('I eat. He eats'). In Norwegian, the present tense form is invariable. Almost all verbs add -r to the infinitive to form the present tense, which then can be used with all subjects. The present tenses of a v~re. a vite. a gj¢re. and a sp¢rre are irregular, and must be learned separately. 33 VERB REVIEW 1. Which of the following are not verbs? pretty grow street later 2. Can the infinitive describe actions which happened in the past? CoveJt ZhM. eo.f.umn whUe an4w€lLi.ng! no s: ppetty stpeet Zatep Yes No no 3. What is the infinitive marker in Norwegian? 4. Which of the following are not Norwegian infinitives? ser gj¢re hadde tro 5. How do you say 'He likes to sleep'? 6. How do you say 'She is learning to walk'? 7. Do you have to use the infinitive marker in sentences 5. and 6.? sep hadde Han Zikep a sove. Hun l./Epep a gao Yes No yes 8. If ep means 'is,' in hun ep. what would the verb form be for 'we are'? 9. Write the present tense form for these infinitives. A arbeide A bo A hete 10. What are the present tense forms for: A va!re A gj¢re ep apbeidep bop hetep ep gj¢p A sp¢rre 35 sp¢p VERB REVIEW Before going on to sentence structure, we should compare one more aspect of English and Norwegian present tenses which frequently causes trouble when students translate from English into Norwegian. Compare these sentences: 1. I speak English. l 2. I do speak English. 1. Jeg snakker engeZsk. 3. I am speaking English. English uses three types of constructions for these sentences. Norwegian permits only one. The student who tries to translate the English sentences word-for-word will no doubt have trouble with the words 'do' and 'am' in sentences 2. and 3. Now we will summarize some things you have seen about Norwegian sentence structure. In simple declarative sentences in Norwegian, the subject (5) comes before the verb (V): 5 V Vi sover. Bun snakker norsk. In sentences which have several elements in the verb, we will pay particular attention to the verbal element which comes first. That is the element which can change its tense, and can change its position relative to the subject. We'll call that element V: 5 Ban Svein V har Ziker sett fiZmen f¢r. Ii tulle. V 5 Sover du? Liker Svein a tuZ Ze? Bar du sett fiZmen f¢r? heter hun? Bva Questions reverse the relative positions of 5 and V. For questions which require only a 'yes' or 'no'-answer, the sentence starts with the V, and the 5 follows. Questions which require new information to be given start with an interrogative (et sp¢rreord...