Word of the Day: Kjæreste

The Word of the Day is kjæreste, "sweetheart, boy/girlfriend" -- en person som man har et romantisk forhold til og fast følge med.

It is also a superlative of kjær, "dear", and can be used as an endearment -- Min kjæreste!, or more poetically, Kjæreste min!, although this might sound a little old-fashioned these days.

kjæreste = sweetheart
kjæresten = the sweetheart
kjærester = sweethearts
kjærestene = the sweethearts

Arne er lei seg fordi kjæresten slo opp med ham.
Arne is sad because his girlfriend broke up with him.

De har vært kjærester siden ungdommen.
They have been sweethearts since childhood.

Å la = To let (Uke 33)

The Verb of the Week for Week 33 is å la, "to let, to allow". As in English, it is usually used with another verb. It can also mean "to leave" as in "leave one behind, alone, in peace".

Note that "to let" in the sense of renting or taking a lease on something is å leie.

Here are the conjugations of this irregular verb:

vi lar = we let (present tense)
vi har latt = we have let (present perfect tense)
vi lot = we let (past tense)
vi hadde latt = we had let (past perfect)
vi vil la = we will let (future tense)
vi vil ha latt = we will have let (future perfect)
vi ville la = we would let (present conditional)
vi ville ha latt = we would have let (future conditional)
la! = let! (imperative)

And here are some sentences using å la --

Det er varmt i dag -- la døra stå åpen, vær så snill.
It's so warm today -- leave the door open, would you?

Hvorfor lot du meg gå ut seende ut som dette?
Why did you let me go out looking like this?

Pappa ville ikke la meg kjøre Saaben, så jeg måtte bruke sykkelen min. Unnskyld at jeg er sen.
Dad wouldn't let me drive the Saab, so I had to ride my bike. Sorry I'm late.

La meg gå, du store stut!
Let me go, you big lummox!

Heraklit

Heraclitus, a detail from "The School of Athens" by Raphael (1483-1520).

"Du kan ikke stige ned i samme elv to ganger. Den elven som du nettopp satte foten ned i er nå borte -- vannets rørsler og virvler blir uavbrutt andre."

-- Heraklit (540-480 f.Kr.), gresk filosof

Å bli = To be, to become (Uke 31)

Vil du bli millionær?

The Verb of the Week is å bli, one of the most common verbs in Norwegian. It can mean "to be, to become, to remain/stay".

The alternatives below are some of the older forms allowed in bokmål; the first listed are the most common.

jeg blir = I am (present tense)
jeg er/har blitt = I have been (present perfect tense)
jeg ble, blei = I was (past tense)
jeg var/har blitt = I had been (past perfect)
jeg vil bli, blive = I will be (future)
jeg vil være blitt = I will have been (future perfect)
jeg ville bli, blive = I would be (present conditional)
jeg ville være blitt = I would have been (perfect conditional)

Hvis du skal bli med til byen, må du først gjøre leksene dine.
If you are going to come to town with me, you must do your lessons first.

Åse sier at hun ikke ønsker å bli en astronaut likevel.
Åse says she doesn't want to be an astronaut after all.

Han ble vel for bare to dager, så vi ikke fikk se ham mye.
He stayed for only two days, so we didn't get to see much of him.

Det blir femti kroner, takk.
That will be fifty kroner, please.

Hvor det er hjerterom, blir det alltid husrom.
Where there is room in the heart, there is room in the house. [The English equivalent is “Where there’s a will, there’s a way”.]

Hangman

Play hangman in Norwegian online on the no.free.dictionary homepage, or here in English, Norwegian, or French at hangman.no.

Å bo = To live, reside (Uke 30)

Kroken Leilighet, Bergen.

The Verb of the Week for Week 30 is å bo, "to live, reside". Å bu is still seen, but the newer spelling is more common nowadays.

Use å leve for "to live, be alive" -- "Man kan ikke leve av brød alene".

hun bor = she lives (present tense)
hun har bodd = she has lived (present perfect tense)
hun bodde = she lived (past tense)
hun hadde bodd = she had lived (past perfect tense)
hun vil bo/bu = she will live (future)
hun vil ha bodd = she will have lived (future perfect)
hun ville bo/bu = she would live (present conditional)
hun ville ha bodd = she would have lived (perfect conditional)

Hvor lenge har du bodd i denne leiligheten?
How long have you lived in this flat?

Øyvind bor i Trondheim nå, men han er egentlig fra Kolvereid.
Øyvind lives in Trondheim now, but actually he's from Kolvereid.

Mor sier jeg ville bo på biblioteket hvis jeg kunne.
Mum says I'd live at the public library if I could.

Litt/lite = A little/little

Liten and litt both refer to the smallness of something, but when you are talking about how much Norwegian you speak, there is a subtle difference.

Jeg snakker litt norsk.
I speak a little Norwegian.

Jeg snakker lite norsk.
I speak little Norwegian.

The first implies, "yes, I speak [a bit of] Norwegian, please feel free to carry on", while the second is "I don't understand, please help!"

Jeg snakker bare litt norsk.
I speak only a little Norwegian.

Vennligst snakk saktere.
Please speak more slowly.

Hva betyr det?
What does that mean?