10 Grammar

10 Grammar

SÅ

Different types of words sometimes have the same form and are therefore a bit confusing.
The form så is one of these:

1) Så = then, afterwards
This type of så is an adverb.

Etter lunsj dro vi til Akershus festning. Så gikk vi til Rådhuset.
After lunch we went to Akershus fortress. Then we went to the City Hall.

2) Så = so, very
This type of så is also an adverb. It is normally placed in front of adjectives:

Det var så interessant på Vikingskipshuset.
It was so interesting at the Viking Ship Museum.

3) Så = so, for that reason
This type of så is a conjunction. The conjunction is followed by a main clause:

Dai Wu har ikke møtt Kristins familie før, så han er litt nervøs.
Dai Wu has not met Kristin's family before, so he is a bit nervous.

4) Så = saw
Så can also be the past tense of the verb å se (to see):

Vi så et stykke av Henrik Ibsen.
We saw a piece by Henrik Ibsen.

PREPOSITIONS

More about prepositions in connection with place

Bak (behind), foran (in front of), i (in), på (on), over (over), under (under) and ved siden av (next to) are typical prepositions in connection with place.

In the following we will have a closer look at the difference between i and på and in addition explain the use of two other prepositions; til (to) and hos (at).

I is used when something is placed inside something, within borders or walls:

Dai Wu har vondt i halsen.
Dai Wu has a sore throat.
Jakka ligger i kofferten. 
The jacket is in the suitcase.
Koppene står i skapet.
The cups are in the cupboard.
Studentene sitter i klasserommet.
The students are in the classroom.

I is also used together with

- continents: i Europa, i Asia
- countries and states: i Norge, i Kina, i Texas
- counties: i Nordland, i Oslo
- the following Norwegian regions: i Nord-Norge, i Midt-Norge
- municipalities: i Narvik, i Tromsø
- cities: i Narvik, i Oslo, i Beijing
- street names/addresses: i Prinsens gate, i Kirkegata 10 A

På is often used to indicate that something is on top of something else:

Boka ligger på bordet.
The book is on the table.

På is also used in the following connections:

på skolen at school
på kino, teater at the cinema, theatre
på restaurant, kafé in/at a restaurant, café
på biblioteket at the library
på jobb/arbeid at work
på (ved) høgskolen at the university college

In the following connections i is also used:

på/i butikken in/at the shop
på/i kjøkkenet, stua in the kitchen, living room
på/i badet, soverommet in the bathroom, bedroom

På is also used together with

- islands: på Grønland (When the island is a state we use i: i Irland. Sometimes we can use both: på/i Sri Lanka.)
- the following Norwegian regions: på Vestlandet, på Sørlandet, på Østlandet
- many inland cities in Norway: på Røros, på Lillehammer
- many names of places: på Storholtet, på Framnes

It is often difficult to explain the use of i and på together with Norwegian names of places. The topography or even the name itself often decides the preposition, but there are lots of exceptions and also local differences.

TIL

Til is the most frequent preposition when there is some kind of movement:

Dai Wu skal reise til Kina snart.
Dai Wu  is going to China soon.
Skal du dra til HiN i dag?
Are you going to HiN today?

HOS

We use hos in front of names and occupational groups.

Dai Wu skal på fest hjemme hos Kristin.
Dai Wu is going to a party at Kristin's place.
Dai Wu er hos politiet for å hente passet sitt.
Dai Wu is at the police to pick up his passport.

When involving movement, we use til:

Dai Wu må dra til legen.
Dai Wu has to go to the doctor's.
Han skal gå til politiet og hente passet sitt.
He is going to the police to pick up his passport.

COMMA RULES

1) We always use a comma in front of men (but):

Boyana bor i Narvik, men hun kommer fra Bulgaria.
Boyana lives in Narvik, but she comes from Bulgaria.

2) We use a comma in front of the conjunctions og (and), for (because) and så (so) when the following sentence is a complete main clause:

Han har bodd i Norge i tre måneder, og han jobber på NTNU.
He has lived in Norway for three months, and he works at NTNU.
But:
Han har bodd i Norge i tre måneder og jobber ved HiN.
He has lived in Norway for three months and works at HiN.

3) We use a comma before and after a parenthetical clause:

Dai Wu, som kommer fra Kina, jobber på HiN.
Dai Wu, who comes from China, works at HiN.

4) We always use commas by enumeration:

Anton spiser vanligvis kylling, laks, pasta, ris og grønnsaker til middag.
Anton usually has chicken, salmon, pasta, rice and vegetables for dinner.

5) We use a comma after the subordinate clause when it is placed in front of the main clause:

Hvis Eva hjelper ham, blir Anton glad.
If Eva helps him, Anton will be happy.

6) We use a comma after direct speech:

«Vil du ha hjelp», spør Eva.
«Would you like some help», Eva asks.