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A2🔄Verbs & Tenses
Past Tense – Weak Verbs
Preteritum – svake verb
Weak verbs form past tense by adding a dental suffix: -et, -te, or -de to the stem. Group 1 adds -et (kastet), Group 2 adds -te (ringte), Group 3 adds -de (bodde). The group depends on the verb's stem ending.
Rule
Group 1: -et | Group 2: -te | Group 3: -de
Examples
Jeg kastet ballen.
I threw the ball.
Hun ringte meg.
She called me.
Vi bodde i India.
We lived in India.
Common Mistake
✗
Jeg ringtet ham.
✓
Jeg ringte ham.
Learners often apply Group 1's -et ending to all verbs. Each group has its own suffix and must be learned with the verb.
English vs Norwegian
| English | Norsk |
|---|---|
| I threw the ball. | Jeg kastet ballen. |
| She called me. | Hun ringte meg. |
| We lived in India. | Vi bodde i India. |
English
I threw the ball.
Norsk
Jeg kastet ballen.
English
She called me.
Norsk
Hun ringte meg.
English
We lived in India.
Norsk
Vi bodde i India.