GrammarverbRegelrette verb i fortid (de 4 gruppene)
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Regelrette verb i fortid (de 4 gruppene)

[Regular Verbs in Past Tense (The 4 Groups)]

1. The 4 Weak Verb Conjugation Classes

The verb stem (infinitive minus the final -e) determines the conjugation group:

Group
Gruppe 1
Stem Characteristic
To konsonanter foran -e(Two consonants before -e)
Past Tense
-et (-a)
Past Participle
-et (-a)
Example
å snakke → snakket → har snakket
Group
Gruppe 2
Stem Characteristic
Én konsonant foran -e(Single consonant before -e)
Past Tense
-te
Past Participle
-t
Example
å spise → spiste → har spist
Group
Gruppe 3
Stem Characteristic
Stamme på -v, -g eller diftong(Stem in -v, -g or diphthong)
Past Tense
-de
Past Participle
-d
Example
å leve → levde → har levd
Group
Gruppe 4
Stem Characteristic
Kort verb på trykksterk vokal(Short verb on stressed vowel)
Past Tense
-dde
Past Participle
-dd
Example
å bo → bodde → har bodd

2. Detailed Examples per Group

Group 1 (-et / -a): High-frequency regular verbs

å vaske → Erik vasket bilen sin i går.to wash → Erik washed his car yesterday.
å jobbe → Nina har jobbet på skolen i tre år.to work → Nina has worked at the school for three years.
å vente → Vi ventet på bussen i 20 minutter.to wait → We waited for the bus for 20 minutes.

Group 2 (-te / -t): Verbs with a single stem consonant

å kjøpe → Jeg kjøpte ferske rundstykker i dag morges.to buy → I bought fresh rolls this morning.
å reise → De reiste til Trondheim forrige uke.to travel → They traveled to Trondheim last week.
å like → Barna likte den nye filmen veldig godt.to like → The children liked the new movie very much.

Group 3 (-de / -d) and Group 4 (-dde / -dd):

å pleie (Gr. 3) → Bestefar pleide å gå tur hver kveld.to be used to → Grandpa used to go for a walk every evening.
å bo (Gr. 4) → Vi har bodd i Stavanger siden 2021.to live → We have lived in Stavanger since 2021.
å tro (Gr. 4) → Han trodde ikke på ryktene.to believe → He did not believe the rumors.
In Group 1, you can choose between '-et' and '-a' in past tense (e.g. 'snakket' or 'snakka'). Both are fully standard in Bokmål.