Å bruke = To use (Uke 36)

The Verb of the Week for Week 36 is å bruke, "to use"; it can also mean "to consume".

Here are the conjugations of this regular verb --

jeg bruker = I use (present tense)
jeg har brukt = I have used (present perfect tense)
jeg brukte = I used (past tense)
jeg hadde brukt = I had used (past perfect)
jeg vil bruke = I will use (future)
jeg vil ha brukt = I will have used (future perfect)
jeg ville bruke = I would use (present conditional)
jeg ville ha brukt = I would have used (perfect conditional)

And here are some sentences using it --

Takk for vottene, bestemor! Jeg kan bruke dem når jeg går på ski i fjellet.
Thanks for the mittens, grandma! I can use them when I go skiing in the mountains.

Denne eplekaken er veldig bra. Brukte du mammas oppskrift?
This apple cake is very good. Did you use mom's recipe?

Han har brukt opp alle blekket i blekkpatronen, da han skrev ut romanen sin.
He has used all the ink in the cartridge, printing out his novel.

Gudskjelov brukte jeg blyant! Jeg gjorde en stor feil her.
Thank goodness I was using pencil! I made a big mistake here.

Å la = To let, allow (Uke 33)

Å la, "to let, to allow", is the Verb of the Week for Week 33. As in English, it is usually used with another verb: "let it go", "let me pay", and so on. It can also mean "to leave" as in "leave one behind, alone, in peace".

"To let" as in to rent or take a lease on something is å leie.

Here are the conjugations of this irregular verb:

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

And here are some sentences using it:

La meg se, tre femmere er femten, én går i minnet ...
Let me see, three fives are fifteen, carry the one ...

Jeg håper mormor vil la meg bruke hennes perler for festen.
I hope Grandma will let me wear her pearls for the party.

Helmer insisterte på å spandere på middag, så selvfølgelig lot jeg ham.
Helmer insisted on paying for dinner, so of course I let him.

Og ikke glem å la hunden få slippe ut!
And don't forget to let the dog out!

Å bli = To be, to become (Uke 31)

Photo by foistclub on Flickr.

The Verb of the Week for Week 31 is å bli. It can have many meanings in Norwegian, including "to become, to stay, to be".

As an auxiliary verb, bli combined with the past particple of another verb forms the passive voice: Døra blei åpnet, "the door was opened".

Here are the conjugations of this irregular verb:

du blir = you (sing.) are (present tense)
du er/har blitt = you have been (present perfect tense)
du ble, blei = you were (past tense)
du var/har blitt = you had been (past perfect)
du vil bli, blive = you will be (future)
du vil være blitt = you will have been (future perfect)
du ville bli, blive = you would be (present conditional)
du ville være blitt = you would have been (perfect conditional)

And here are some sentences using it:

Torvald har blitt syk, så han blir ikke med oss.
Torvald got sick, so he couldn't come with us.

Hvor lenge vil du bli i Stavanger?
How long will you be in Stavanger?

Mads sier at han kan fikse sykkelen min, men om det blir i morgen eller torsdag vet han ikke.
Mads says he can fix my bike, but whether it will be tomorrow or Thursday he doesn't know.

Å gi = To give (Uke 28)

Å gi, "to give, to present", is the Verb of the Week for week 28. It can have either an indirect object (the recipient) or a direct object (that which is given). This verb also appears in many idioms.

Ga is the past tense of this verb found more often today, but the older form, gav, is still heard.

jeg gir = I give (present tense)
jeg har gitt = I have given (present perfect tense)
jeg ga/gav = I gave (past tense)
jeg hadde gitt = I had given (past perfect)
jeg vil gi = I shall give (future)
jeg vil ha gitt = I shall have given (future perfect)
jeg ville gi = I should give (present conditional)
jeg ville ha gitt = I should have given (perfect conditional)

Hva gir du meg! = How do you like that!
gi mening = make sense
gi fra seg = hand over, part with
gi opp = give up
gi seg god tid = take one's time
gi seg i vei = start off, set out

Here are some sentences using this common verb:

Men jeg ga deg to hundre kroner i går!
But I gave you two hundred kroner yesterday!

Gi det til meg! Du lager bare rot!
Give it to me! You’re just making a mess!

De vil gi alle pengene til veldedighet.
They will give all of the money to charity.

Det var over midnatt da Trond ga opp og gikk hjem.
It was past midnight when Trond gave up and went home.

Å selge = To sell (Uke 27)

The Verb of the Week for week 27 is å selge, "to sell." It usually has a direct object, that which is being sold.

Here are the conjugations of this irregular verb:

han selger = he sells (present tense)
han har solgt = he has sold (present perfect tense)
han solgte = he sold (past tense)
han vil selge = he will sell (future)
han vil ha solgt = he will have sold (future perfect)
han hadde solgt = he had sold (past perfect)
han ville selge = he would sell (present conditional)
han ville ha solgt = he would have sold (perfect conditional)

And here are some sentences using it:

Bjørn solgte tre biler på sin første dag på Volvo-bilforhandleren.
Bjørn sold three cars on his first day at the Volvo dealership.

Jeg tror jeg vil ha solgt all limonaden ved lunsjtider. Kan du be mamma om å lage litt mer.
I think I will have sold all of the lemonade by lunchtime. Go ask Mom to make some more.

På kysten selger hun sjøens skjell.
She sells sea shells by the sea shore.

På kysten selger hun sjøens skjell is "On the seashore/coast, she sells the sea's shells," which might sound to a Norwegian ear rather laboriously poetic. Hun selger skjell på stranden is more logical; skjell is usually understood as sea shells, so that sjøen-skjell is essentially redundant; havskjell might be preferable. Like English, too, there is a sometimes subtle but definite difference between "the beach/seaside", stranden, and "the coast", kysten. However, we are making a tongue-twister here -- en tungeknekker -- so we might be allowed some license.

Å kjøpe = To buy (Uke 26)

Edwardian pearl and diamond ring from Precious & Rare Pieces.

The Verb of the Week for week 26 is å kjøpe, used very like the same verb in English, "to buy". It usually takes a direct object, that which is being bought -- the camera, the car, and so on.

Here are the conjugations of å kjøpe --

vi kjøper = we buy/are buying (present tense)
vi har kjøpt = we have bought (present perfect tense)
vi kjøpte = we bought (past tense)
vi hadde kjøpt = we had bought (past perfect)
vi skal kjøpe = we shall buy (future)
vi skal ha kjøpt = we shall have bought (future perfect)
vi skulle kjøpe = we should buy (conditional present)
vi skulle ha kjøpt = we should have bought (conditional perfect)

And here are a few sentences using it:

Tre tenåringer i huset? Jeg er nødt til å kjøpe mer melk.
Three teenagers in the house? I will have to buy more milk.

Jeg visste at jeg skulle ha kjøpt den blå kjolen istedenfor den grønne!
I knew I should have bought the blue dress instead of the green one!

Her -- jeg kjøpte noe til deg.
Here -- I bought you something.

Utdrag fra "Til fyret" av Virginia Woolf

Et utdrag fra Til fyret av Virginia Woolf = An excerpt from To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf.

Virginia Woolf
Til fyret
Originaltittel: To the lighthouse
Oversetter: Merete Alfsen
Kild: Bokklubben

Men hva har jeg gjort ut av livet mitt? tenkte fru Ramsay idet hun inntok plassen sin øverst ved bordet og så på alle tallerkenene som dannet hvite sirkler på det. «William, sitt ved siden av meg,» sa hun. «Lily,» sa hun trett, «der». De hadde det -- Paul Rayley og Minta Doyle -- hun bare dette -- et uendelig langt bord og tallerkener og kniver. Nederst ved enden hadde hennes mann nettopp satt seg, sammensunket, med rynket panne. Hvorfor det? Hun visste ikke. Det kunne være det samme. Hun kunne ikke begripe at hun noen gang hadde følt noe som helst for ham. Hun hadde en følelse av å være ferdig med alt, gjennom alt, utenfor alt der hun satt og øste opp suppen, som om det var en virvelstrøm -- der -- og en kunne være i den eller utenfor den, og hun var utenfor. Alt er forbi, tenkte hun, mens de kom inn, den ene etter den andre, Charles Tansley -- «Sitt der, er De snill,» sa hun -- Augustus Carmichael -- og satte seg. Og imens satt hun og ventet på at noen skulle svare henne, at noe skulle skje. Men dette, tenkte hun og øste opp suppe, er ikke noe en kan si.

Hun hevet øyenbrynene over misforholdet mellom det hun tenkte og det hun gjorde -- øste opp suppe -- og følte, stadig sterkere, at hun var utenfor virvelstrømmen; eller at det liksom hadde falt en skygge over det hele og at hun nå, når fargene var borte, så alt slik det egentlig var. Rommet (hun så seg rundt) var svært nedslitt. Ingenting var vakkert. Hun unnlot å se på Tansley. Det var som om ingenting føyde seg sammen. De satt der hver for seg. Og alt strevet med å få det til å smelte og flyte og bli til noe, hvilte på henne.

But what have I done with my life? thought Mrs Ramsay, taking her place at the head of the table, and looking at all the plates making white circles on it. "William, sit by me," she said. "Lily," she said, wearily, "over there." They had that -- Paul Rayley and Minta Doyle -- she, only this -- an infinitely long table and plates and knives. At the far end was her husband, sitting down, all in a heap, frowning. What at? She did not know. She did not mind. She could not understand how she had ever felt any emotion or affection for him. She had a sense of being past everything, through everything, out of everything, as she helped the soup, as if there was an eddy -- there -- and one could be in it, or one could be out of it, and she was out of it. It's all come to an end, she thought, while they came in one after another, Charles Tansley -- "Sit there, please,"she said -- Augustus Carmichael -- and sat down. And meanwhile she waited, passively, for some one to answer her, for something to happen. But this is not a thing, she thought, ladling out soup, that one says.

Raising her eyebrows at the discrepancy -- that was what she was thinking, this was what she was doing -- ladling out soup -- she felt, more and more strongly, outside that eddy; or as if a shade had fallen, and, robbed of colour, she saw things truly. The room (she looked round it) was very shabby. There was no beauty anywhere. She forebore to look at Mr Tansley. Nothing seemed to have merged. They all sat separate. And the whole of the effort of merging and flowing and creating rested on her.