"Det var en gang en Cherrox"

Å vite = To know (Uke 38)

The Verb of the Week is å vite, "to know". Related to the Latin "videre", "to see/observe, understand", it means "to know" as in the sense of knowing facts. (See å kjenne for knowing, being familiar with, a person or a song.)

Let's conjugate this irregular verb:

hun vet = she knows (present tense)
hun har visst = she has known (present perfect)
hun visste = she knew (past tense)
hun hadde visst = she had known (past perfect)
hun vil vite = she will know (future)
hun vil ha visst = she will have known (future perfect)
hun ville vite = she would know (conditional present tense)
hun ville ha visst = she would have known (conditional perfect tense)

And use it in a few sentences:

Jeg vet at Lars bor i denne gaten, men jeg husker ikke nummeret.
I know that Lars lives on this street, but I can’t remember the number.

Før han var ti visste Trond navnene og hovedstedene av alle amerikanske statene.
By the time he was ten, Trond knew the names and capitals of all the American states.

Egentlig har jeg visst om Ragnhild og Per i minst en måned nå.
Actually, I’ve known about Ragnhild and Per for at least a month now.

Å spille = To play (Uke 35)

"Plastposen" (1986)

Å spille is the Verb of the Week. It means "to play," as in to play a musical instrument, a role, a trick, specific games, and so on. (For something like children playing, use å leke.)

du spiller = you (sing.) play (present tense)
du har spilt = you have played (present perfect tense)
du spilte = you played (past tense)
du har spilt = you have played (past perfect tense)
du vil spille = you will play (future tense)
du vil har spille = you will have played (future perfect)

La oss spille sjakk! Okay, hva med dam, da?
Let's play chess! Okay, then, how about checkers?

Hva var den filmen, den hvor Sverre Anker Ousdal spilte en bankraner?
What was that movie, the one where Sverre Anker Ousdal played a bankrobber?

Trond har spilt valdhornet i tre år nå. Han blir veldig flink.
Trond has played the french horn for three years now. He's getting quite good.

Hva spiller på Eldorado i kveld?
What's playing at the Eldorado this evening?

Å hete = To be named, called (Uke 34)

"Håkon den Gode og bøndene ved blotet på Mære" by Peter Nicolai Arbo (1831-1892). Haakon I, also known as Haakon the Good, was king of Norway from 934 to 961. Image source: Wikipedia

The Verb of the Week is "å hete", to be named or called. (For calling someone -- out the window perhaps -- use "å kalle".) This regular verb conjugates quite simply:

jeg heter = I am named/called (present tense)
jeg har hett = I have been named/called (present perfect tense)
jeg het = I was named/called (past tense)
jeg hadde hett = I had been named/called (past perfect)
jeg vil hete = I will be named/called (future)
jeg vil ha hett = I will have been named/called (future perfect)
jeg ville hete = I would be named/called (present conditional)
jeg ville ha hett = I would have been named/called (perfect conditional)

Here are some sentences using "å hete" --

Kom og se vår ny båt! Hun heter «Kronprinsessen».
Come and see our new boat! She is called “The Crown Princess”.

Da jeg var liten, jeg hadde en hund som het Sparky.
When I was a kid, I had a dog named Sparky.

Det har faktisk vært tolv konger av Norge som har hett Haakon.
In fact, twelve kings of Norway have been named Haakon.

Babyen skal hete Marius, etter sin oldefar.
The baby will be called Marius, after his great-grandfather.

Å bo = To live, reside (Uke 30)

Old houses along Bjerggata, in Sandefjord. Image from Wikipedia.

The Verb of the Week is å bo, "to live, reside". The older form, å bu, is still found.

"To live, to be alive" is å leve. Use å bo to specify a place of residence.

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

Here are some sentences using å bo:

Terje bodde med foreldrene sine til 1998.
Terje lived with his parents until 1998.

De vil bo i Sandefjord etter bryllupet.
They will live in Sandefjord after the wedding.

Han bor i Håkon-Herdebreisgate, ved siden av politistasjonen. Han sier han liker det.
He lives in Håkon-Herdebrei-street, next to the police station. He says he likes it.

Å selge = To sell (Uke 27)

Å selge is the Verb of the Week -- it means "to sell".

jeg selger = I sell
du har solgt = you have sold
han solgte = he sold
hun hadde solgt = she had sold
vi vil selge = we will sell
dere vil ha solgt = they will have sold
de ville selge = you would sell

Torunn selger votter og bunadstrømper i sin butikk.
Torunn sells mittens and folk stockings at her shop.

Ibsen førsteutgaven? Jeg beklager, vi har solgt den allerede.
The Ibsen first edition? I'm sorry, we've sold it already.

Du solgte mine Toralf Tollefsen-plater? Å nei!
You sold my Toralf Tollefsen records? Oh, no!

Word of the day = Trekkspill (Dagens ord)

The word of the day is trekkspill, accordion. Lexin's definition: et musikkinstrument med tangenter og luftbelg til å holde i hendene, "a musical instrument with keyboard and bellows, held in the hands".

Trekkspillet is the definite singular ("the accordion").

Trekkspill is the indefinite plural ("accordions").

Trekkspillene is the definite plural ("the accordions").

Trekkspiller is "accordionist", one who plays the accordion.

Trekkspillernes, "the accordionists".

Toralf Tollefsen (1914-1994) was a famous accordionist from Fredrikstad. He began playing at the age of five, had a storied career in Norway and the UK as well as touring in America, and later in life was the founding president of the National Accordion Organisation of the United Kingdom.