The Infinitive and the Marker 'å' — Norwegian Grammar

The infinitive is the basic form of a verb, the one a dictionary lists: (to eat), (to go), (to read). Most infinitives end in -e; a group of short ones ends in another vowel. Where English puts "to" in front of the infinitive, Norwegian uses the little word , which sounds like the "o" in "or".

Du liker å sove.
You like to sleep.
Jeg trenger å gå til supermarkedet.
I need to go to the supermarket.

After Verbs

Many verbs are followed by and an infinitive, much as their English counterparts are followed by "to" or by "-ing".

Når begynner du å jobbe?
When do you start working?
Når slutter du å jobbe?
When do you stop working?
Alle elsker å svømme.
Everybody loves swimming.
Husk å låse døren.
Remember to lock the door.

After Adjectives

An adjective that describes how easy, pleasant or hard something is takes before the verb.

Hyggelig å møte deg.
Nice to meet you.
Den er vanskelig å åpne.
It is difficult to open.
Han er morsom å være sammen med.
He is fun to be with.

As the Subject of a Sentence

An infinitive with can name an activity and act as the subject, where English would normally use the "-ing" form.

Å lære et nytt språk er vanskelig.
Learning a new language is difficult.
Å spille tennis er ikke lett.
Playing tennis is not easy.

After Prepositions: for å, til å

expresses a purpose, "in order to". follows words like (enough) and (ready). After any other preposition the infinitive also takes , where English uses "-ing".

Jeg trenger førerkort for å kjøre bil.
I need a driving licence to drive a car.
Jeg ringer for å informere deg.
I am calling to inform you.
Jeg har nok penger til å kjøpe bil.
I have enough money to buy a car.
Er du klar til å spise?
Are you ready to eat?
Jeg er spent på å reise.
I am excited about travelling.

No å After la and be

(let) and (ask someone to do something) also take the bare infinitive, with the person in between.

La oss spise pizza.
Let's eat pizza.
Kunne du be kelneren komme hit?
Could you ask the waiter to come here?

Words Between å and the Verb

A short adverb such as (not) or (never) can stand between and the infinitive.

Husk å aldri låse denne døren.
Remember never to lock this door.
Det er viktig å ikke glemme nøkkelen.
It is important not to forget the key.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Norwegian course

122 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 4. A few of them, with the words “The Infinitive and the Marker 'å'” is about in bold:

Jeg vil dra hjem nå.
I want to go home now.
Lesson 71
Ja. La oss spise kinesisk mat.
Yes. Let's eat Chinese food.
Lesson 127
Jeg må sykle til jeg får ny bil.
I have to ride my bike until I get a new car.
Lesson 301

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