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⏪ Norwegian grammar: Verbs: past tense — rule, table and examples
Level A2
The rule
The past tense (preteritum) is for finished actions in the past: “I går spiste jeg pizza”. Regular verbs take -et, -te, -de or -dde: snakket, spiste, levde, bodde. Many common verbs are irregular: gå → gikk, se → så, være → var, ha → hadde, gjøre → gjorde, si → sa, komme → kom.
Table
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| snakke → snakket | speak → spoke |
| spise → spiste | eat → ate |
| bo → bodde | live → lived |
| gå → gikk | go → went |
| være → var | be → was |
| ha → hadde | have → had |
| se → så | see → saw |
| komme → kom | come → came |
Examples
- I går gikk vi på kino.
Yesterday we went to the cinema. - Jeg bodde i Kyiv før.
I lived in Kyiv before.
Try it yourself
1. I går ____ jeg pizza. (spise)
spisa · spiser · spist · spiste
Show the answer
Answer: spiste
2. I går ____ vi på kino. (gå)
gikk · gådde · går · gått
Show the answer
Answer: gikk
3. Før ____ jeg i Kyiv. (bo)
bodde · boet · bor · bott
Show the answer
Answer: bodde
4. Det ____ kaldt i går. (være)
er · var · været · vært
Show the answer
Answer: var
5. Vi ____ en elg i skogen i fjor. (se)
seet · ser · sett · så
Show the answer
Answer: så
6. Leo ____ for sent i dag tidlig. (komme)
kom · kommer · kommet · komte
Show the answer
Answer: kom
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FAQ
How does “Verbs: past tense” work in Norwegian?
The past tense (preteritum) is for finished actions in the past: “I går spiste jeg pizza”. Regular verbs take -et, -te, -de or -dde: snakket, spiste, levde, bodde. Many common verbs are irregular: gå → gikk, se → så, være → var, ha → hadde, gjøre → gjorde, si → sa, komme → kom.
How can I practise “Verbs: past tense”?
Open the free exercise in Komiks·Lab: 11 fill-in-the-gap tasks with instant feedback, and comics where the rule is used in real dialogues.