On verbs

The infinitive is the root form of the verb. In English, the infinitive form has the particle "to" attached to it, e.g., "to be", "to go," "to love". In Norwegian, use "å", f.eks. "å være", "å gå", "å elske". Most infinitives in Norwegian end in a vowel, usually unstressed -e, as in "snakke", "danse", "bo"; some infinitives end in -s, as in "møtes", "brukes".

A regular verb is one which falls into a pattern of conjugation according to the language's rules of grammar. In English, the infinitive form of a regular verb is used for all tenses except for the third person singular. For example, with the English infinitive "to look":

I (first person singular) look
you (second person sing.) look
he (third person sing.) looks
we (first person plural) look
you (second person pl.) look
they look (third person pl.) look

Norwegian regular verbs also follow a predictable pattern, as for example in "å lese" ("jeg leser, jeg leste, jeg [har/hadde/vil ha] lest") and "å bygge" ("jeg bygger, jeg byggde, jeg [har/hadde/vil ha] bygd").

An irregular verb is one whose conjugation does not fall into a predictable pattern. The most common example in English is "to be", which is not "I be", "you be", and so on, but "I am", "you are", "he is".

Note that some English verbs are irregular only in spelling; "to pay", for instance, conjugates quite predictably pronunciation-wise, but not in spelling.

Some examples of Norwegian irregular verbs are "å ha" ("jeg har, jeg hadde, jeg [har/hadde/vil ha] hatt"), "å spørre" ("jeg spør, jeg spurte, jeg [har/hadde/vil ha] spurt"), and "å gjøre" ("jeg gjør, jeg gjorde, jeg [har/hadde/vil ha] gjort").

The imperative form of a verb is used to express a direct demand or request. In English, we simply use the infinitive -- "go!", "sit!" -- but in Norwegian, the imperative is formed, depending on the particular verb, by dropping the -e -- "sitt!", "spis!", "kom!" -- or by using the infinitive -- "gå!", "si!"

Somewhat simplistically, tense refers to the time at or during which a state or action denoted by a verb occurs. There are for general purposes six indicative tenses, used for factual statements, such as situations that are presently occurring or have already occurred, and two conditional tenses, indicating hypothetical situations, those that might happen in the future.

In the present tense, "I write". This tense expresses an action at the present time, a current state of being, and so on. "Jeg skriver". Unlike English, Norwegian does not use the continuous or progressive tense, in which a form of "to be" is used with the participle (the -ing form of the verb): thus, "I am writing" is "jeg skriver" and not "jeg er skriver".

In the present perfect tense, "I have written". This tense is used to express action that has been completed at the present time (and thus is "perfected", although it may not, of course, be flawless). "Jeg har skrevet".

In the past tense, "I wrote". This tense expresses an action or a state of being that has already occurred. In regular English verbs, this is indicated by the suffix -ed, as in "walked", "started", and so on. "Jeg skrev".

In the past perfect or pluperfect tense, "I had written". This tense refers to an act that has already been completed before another past action. It is is formed in English by combining the auxiliary verb "had" with the past participle. "Jeg hadde skrevet".

In the future tense, "I will write". This tense refers to an action or state that has not yet happened. "Jeg skal skrive".

In the future perfect tense, "I will have written". This tense is used to describe an event that has not yet happened but which is expected or planned to happen before another stated occurrence: "Before noon, I will have written a letter." "Jeg skulle ha skrevet".

In the present conditional or conditional simple tense, "I would write". The conditional mood indicates that something is contingent upon the outcome of something else. The present conditional tense expresses or describes something that probably will be done at some point in the future, and the emphasis is generally on the action, not the object. "If" or "when" is generally used or implied in this tense: "I would write you a letter if I could find my pen." "Jeg skulle skrive".

In the perfect conditional or conditional perfect tense, "I would have written". This tense combines the conditional mood and the perfect tense. The emphasis is on the object, not the action: "I would have written you a letter, had I found my pen". "Jeg skulle ha skrevet".