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⏮️ Norwegian grammar: Past perfect (hadde + participle) — rule, table and examples
Level B1
The rule
The past perfect is hadde + past participle. It shows an action that happened BEFORE another past action: “Da jeg kom, hadde toget allerede gått” — when I arrived, the train had already left. Often with da, etter at, allerede, aldri før: “Etter at vi hadde spist, gikk vi en tur”.
Table
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| hadde spist | had eaten |
| hadde gått | had left / gone |
| hadde vært | had been |
| hadde glemt | had forgotten |
| hadde aldri sett | had never seen |
| etter at … hadde | after … had |
Examples
- Da jeg kom, hadde toget allerede gått.
When I arrived, the train had already left. - Hun hadde aldri sett nordlys før.
She had never seen the northern lights before. - Etter at vi hadde spist, gikk vi en tur.
After we had eaten, we went for a walk. - Jeg var trøtt fordi jeg hadde sovet dårlig.
I was tired because I had slept badly. - Da Lin åpnet kafeen, hadde det allerede kommet mange gjester.
When Lin opened the café, many guests had already arrived.
Try it yourself
1. Da jeg kom, ____ toget allerede gått.
ble · hadde · har · var
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Answer: hadde
2. Hun hadde aldri ____ nordlys før. (se)
seet · ser · sett · så
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Answer: sett
3. Etter at vi hadde ____, gikk vi en tur. (spise)
spise · spiser · spist · spiste
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Answer: spist
4. Jeg kunne ikke komme inn, fordi jeg hadde ____ nøkkelen. (glemme)
glemmer · glemmet · glemt · glemte
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Answer: glemt
5. Da vi kom fram, hadde filmen allerede ____. (begynne)
begynner · begynnet · begynt · begynte
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Answer: begynt
6. Han var sliten, fordi han ____ jobbet hele natta.
hadde · har · skal · var
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Answer: hadde
More grammar topics
FAQ
How does “Past perfect (hadde + participle)” work in Norwegian?
The past perfect is hadde + past participle. It shows an action that happened BEFORE another past action: “Da jeg kom, hadde toget allerede gått” — when I arrived, the train had already left. Often with da, etter at, allerede, aldri før: “Etter at vi hadde spist, gikk vi en tur”.
How can I practise “Past perfect (hadde + participle)”?
Open the exercise in Komiks·Lab: 20 fill-in-the-gap tasks with instant feedback, and comics where the rule is used in real dialogues.