Grammar notes
Welcome to our first Grammar notes step on LearnNoW 3!
In this first week, we will learn more about some specific features of Norwegian.
You have already been familiar with Norwegian Compounds Nouns.
In this step, we will take a closer look at what we can call compound verbs or Phrasal Verbs, Sammensatte verb in Norwegian.
These are verbs that can combine with different prepositions taking on different meanings. They can be challenging, but we hope to give you useful tools to tackle the challenge.
We will also present you with a specific sentence structure to express likes and dislikes. Something that helps you communicate your needs better.
But now, without further ado:
Phrasal verbs – Sammensatte Verb
Verbs can also occur in compounds. In combination with another word, usually a preposition, a verb can get quite a different meaning.
In Week 3 on LearnNoW 2 we learned about å se ut. Remember?
Here are some other possible combinations with å se:
| Du ser fin ut! | You look nice! |
| Se opp for toget! | Watch out for the train! |
| Jeg ser etter Alex. | I’m looking/searching for Alex. |
| Vi ser på TV. | We are watching TV. |
Almost any verb can modify or completely change its meaning when combined with different prepositions. Here are some examples from this week’s texts:
| Cecilie fyller ut et skjema. | Cecilie is filling out a form. |
| Ben regner ut dimensjoner. | Ben is calculating dimensions. |
| Det høres ut som Justin Bieber. | It sounds like Justin Bieber. |
| Hun står opp klokka sju. | She gets up at seven. |
| Alex kaster opp. | Alex is vomiting. |
| Dina vasker opp. | Dina is washing the dishes. |
| Det kommer til å gjøre litt vondt. | It is going to hurt a little. |
Phrasal verbs are as common in Norwegian as they are in English, so if English is not your mother tongue, you will have to learn them as you did when you learnt English.
A good way to do that is to start using verbs that you need in your everyday life. When you link new words and expressions specifically to your daily activities or to your hobbies, you will remember them easier.
Make your own sentences! That works better than trying to memorize long lists of words and verbs.
Ikke heller (not either)
| Nei, kommer du også? | Are you coming too? |
| Jeg liker kaffe. Jeg liker te også. | I like coffee. I also like tea / I like tea, too. |
| Også du, min sønn Brutus? | Even you, Brutus? (Et tu Brute) |
V.Camuccini: “The death of Julius Caesar” 1806
The corresponding negative expression to the adverb også (too/also) is ikke heller (not either):
| Jeg liker ikke kaffe. Jeg liker ikke te heller / jeg liker heller ikke te. | I do not like coffee. I do not like tea, either. |
| Jeg vil ikke se på TV. Jeg vil ikke høre på musikk heller / Jeg vil ikke heller høre på musikk. | I don’t want to watch TV. I don’t want to listen to music, either. |
You can use ikke heller and heller ikke interchangeably. The meaning doesn’t change.
Neither Tv nor music. A walk in the park, perhaps?
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