Norwegian Verb Tenses - Present

Most verbs end in -er (just -r after a vowel!) in all persons of the present tense. The present tense is often used to refer to the future, as in English.

There is no Norwegian direct equivalent of "be ...ing" as in "he's speaking". You can use expressions such as å holde på med 'to be doing something'.

For example, Han holder på med å skrive en bok. "He is writing a book."

Exceptions

Dictionary form

Present tense

Meaning

gjøre

gjør

do

kunne

kan

can, be able

måtte

må

must, have to

si

sier

say

skulle

skal

will, shall

spørre

spør

ask

tore

tør

dare

ville

vil

want

vite

vet

know

være

er

is, am, are

Passage with present tense verbs