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#25 Preteritum and perfektum - How Norwegians look at the past [grammatikk] [on the go]
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Let's dig into a clear mental model that strips away guesswork and shows exactly when to use preteritum, presens perfektum, and preteritum perfektum. Instead of memorizing lists, you’ll learn a focus rule: is the time window closed and you’re reliving a finished moment, or does the action still shape what matters now?
I look at English comparisons that often confuse learners. Norwegian doesn’t split past actions into continuous and simple the way English does—spiste can cover “I ate,” “I was eating,” and even emphatic “I did eat,” depending on context. Then we unpack why presens perfektum shines for present relevance: "har spist" explains why you’re not hungry, "har sett" anchors whether you’ll rewatch that film now, and "har bodd" marks an experience that continues up to now.
You’ll also hear how Norwegians treat boundary moments—like asking "Hvordan har dagen vært?" while the day still unfolds and switching to "Hvordan var dagen?" when the day is considered over (i.e. the time window has closed and is considered past).
Expect practical, real‑life examples—pizza gone missing, movie invites, and Monday morning small talk—that (hopefully) help the logic stick fast.
If this helped, follow, rate, and send it to a friend who’s learning Norwegian!
Support the show
Do you like the podcast? :)
Feel free to buy me a coffee :)
buymeacoffee.com/thenorwegianpuzzle
....
This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Youtube, Deezer and Podcast Addict.
....
Transcript available here: https://the-norwegian-puzzle.buzzsprout.com
....
Questions? Feedback? Get in touch!
....
Other places to find me:
www.norsk-med-silje.com
www.facebook.com/norskmedsilje
www.instagram.com/norskmedsilje
www.linkedin.com/in/silje-linn-moss
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By Silje Linn MossSend us a text
Let's dig into a clear mental model that strips away guesswork and shows exactly when to use preteritum, presens perfektum, and preteritum perfektum. Instead of memorizing lists, you’ll learn a focus rule: is the time window closed and you’re reliving a finished moment, or does the action still shape what matters now?
I look at English comparisons that often confuse learners. Norwegian doesn’t split past actions into continuous and simple the way English does—spiste can cover “I ate,” “I was eating,” and even emphatic “I did eat,” depending on context. Then we unpack why presens perfektum shines for present relevance: "har spist" explains why you’re not hungry, "har sett" anchors whether you’ll rewatch that film now, and "har bodd" marks an experience that continues up to now.
You’ll also hear how Norwegians treat boundary moments—like asking "Hvordan har dagen vært?" while the day still unfolds and switching to "Hvordan var dagen?" when the day is considered over (i.e. the time window has closed and is considered past).
Expect practical, real‑life examples—pizza gone missing, movie invites, and Monday morning small talk—that (hopefully) help the logic stick fast.
If this helped, follow, rate, and send it to a friend who’s learning Norwegian!
Support the show
Do you like the podcast? :)
Feel free to buy me a coffee :)
buymeacoffee.com/thenorwegianpuzzle
....
This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Youtube, Deezer and Podcast Addict.
....
Transcript available here: https://the-norwegian-puzzle.buzzsprout.com
....
Questions? Feedback? Get in touch!
....
Other places to find me:
www.norsk-med-silje.com
www.facebook.com/norskmedsilje
www.instagram.com/norskmedsilje
www.linkedin.com/in/silje-linn-moss