Bokmål tense examples with English translations
Norwegian Sentence Examples By Tense
Learning words helps, but sentences make Norwegian usable. Practise one verb across a few tenses, then save the examples you want to remember.
One verb at a time
Each section focuses on one verb or tense pattern.
Useful tenses
Present, past, present perfect, and future with skal.
Review examples
Save tense examples into Learnalist and review them over time.
Overview
Quick Tense Overview
A small overview of common Norwegian tense patterns before practising individual verbs.
English
I am learning Norwegian.
Norwegian
Jeg lærer norsk.
Present: something happening now or generally.
English
I learned Norwegian yesterday.
Norwegian
Jeg lærte norsk i går.
Past: something that happened before now.
English
I have learned new words.
Norwegian
Jeg har lært nye ord.
Present perfect: something has happened.
English
I am going to learn more tomorrow.
Norwegian
Jeg skal lære mer i morgen.
Future: something will happen later.
Verb pattern
å lære - To Learn
Use this verb when talking about learning Norwegian, new words, or new skills.
English
to learn
Norwegian infinitive
å lære
English
I am learning Norwegian.
Norwegian
Jeg lærer norsk.
Present tense.
English
I learned Norwegian yesterday.
Norwegian
Jeg lærte norsk i går.
Past tense.
English
I have learned new words.
Norwegian
Jeg har lært nye ord.
Present perfect.
English
I am going to learn more Norwegian.
Norwegian
Jeg skal lære mer norsk.
Future with skal.
Verb pattern
å gå - To Go / Walk
Useful for everyday movement: going to a shop, walking home, or leaving soon.
English
to go / to walk
Norwegian infinitive
å gå
English
I am going to the shop.
Norwegian
Jeg går til butikken.
Present tense.
English
I went to the shop.
Norwegian
Jeg gikk til butikken.
Past tense.
English
I have gone home.
Norwegian
Jeg har gått hjem.
Present perfect.
English
I am going to go home soon.
Norwegian
Jeg skal gå hjem snart.
Future with skal.
Verb pattern
å kjøpe - To Buy
A practical verb for shops, groceries, and daily errands.
English
to buy
Norwegian infinitive
å kjøpe
English
I am buying milk.
Norwegian
Jeg kjøper melk.
Present tense.
English
I bought milk.
Norwegian
Jeg kjøpte melk.
Past tense.
English
I have bought milk.
Norwegian
Jeg har kjøpt melk.
Present perfect.
English
I am going to buy milk later.
Norwegian
Jeg skal kjøpe melk senere.
Future with skal.
Verb pattern
å hente - To Pick Up
Useful for parents, appointments, packages, and everyday pickup situations.
English
to pick up
Norwegian infinitive
å hente
English
I am picking up my child.
Norwegian
Jeg henter barnet mitt.
Present tense.
English
I picked up my child.
Norwegian
Jeg hentet barnet mitt.
Past tense.
English
I have picked up my child.
Norwegian
Jeg har hentet barnet mitt.
Present perfect.
English
I am going to pick up my child at three o'clock.
Norwegian
Jeg skal hente barnet mitt klokka tre.
Future with skal.
Verb pattern
å forstå - To Understand
Useful when explaining what you understand or asking for help.
English
to understand
Norwegian infinitive
å forstå
English
I understand a little Norwegian.
Norwegian
Jeg forstår litt norsk.
Present tense.
English
I did not understand the question.
Norwegian
Jeg forsto ikke spørsmålet.
Past tense.
English
I have understood it now.
Norwegian
Jeg har forstått det nå.
Present perfect.
English
I am going to try to understand.
Norwegian
Jeg skal prøve å forstå.
Future with skal.
A Simple Practice Method
Use one verb at a time. The goal is not to memorize a grammar table. The goal is to make useful sentences easier to recall.
- Step 1Read the present tense sentence.
- Step 2Cover the English and try to remember the meaning.
- Step 3Repeat with past, present perfect, and future.
- Step 4Change one detail, such as i dag, i går, or i morgen.
Use AI To Create Sentence Examples By Tense
AI is useful for generating practice material when you already know which verb you want to learn. Ask for a small, structured output.
I am learning Norwegian Bokmål.
Create beginner-friendly sentence examples for this verb: å hente.
I want examples for:
- present tense
- past tense
- present perfect
- future with "skal"
For each tense, give:
- the Norwegian sentence
- the English translation
Use practical situations for life in Norway.
Keep each example practical and natural.
Keep the sentences short.
Do not include more than 8 examples.
Return the result as CSV with columns: from,to.
Put the English text in from and the Norwegian text in to.Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude, or another AI chat.
After AI gives you examples, choose the sentences that match your life. If a sentence feels too formal, too long, or unlikely to be used, skip it.
Link This Back To Verbs
If you do not know which verb to practise, start with a beginner verb list, choose one verb, then come back here and build tense examples around it.
Norwegian Verbs For Beginners