Free learning tool / Norwegian Bokmål
One verb.
Find its forms.
From å snakke to snakket. Look up a Norwegian verb, see how it changes, and make sense of the patterns.
Norwegian Verb Conjugator
Real dictionary forms, for regular and irregular verbs. Powered by Bokmålsordboka.
Four forms. A useful starting point.
Search above for the infinitive, present, past and past participle. Open the extra forms for the imperative and more. Accepted alternatives appear together.
Data: Bokmålsordboka, Universitetet i Bergen og Språkrådet, ordbøkene.no, CC BY 4.0. Inflections originate in Norsk ordbank. We regroup the forms, deduplicate alternatives and add English labels; definitions remain in Norwegian.
Only current standard forms supplied by the dictionary are shown. Different spellings and meanings stay separate. The dictionary search is sent to ord.uib.no when you submit a verb.
01 / Get your bearings
What do the forms actually do?
Start with one familiar verb. These examples use lese, “to read”.
The dictionary form.
Jeg liker å lese.
I like to read. The infinitive often follows å. After a modal such as kan or skal, leave å out: Jeg kan lese.
Now, or as a habit.
Jeg leser hver kveld.
I read every evening. Many verbs add -r to the infinitive. The verb stays the same with jeg, du, hun, vi and the other pronouns.
A finished moment in the past.
Jeg leste i går.
I read yesterday. Learn this form with the verb: some follow a pattern, while others change much more, like gå → gikk.
A building block, not a tense on its own.
Jeg har lest boka.
I have read the book. Here, har plus lest makes the present perfect. The lookup shows the participle itself, without the helping verb.
02 / Spot the pattern
Regular does not mean identical.
These common patterns help you recognise forms. They are a guide, not a rule for guessing every unfamiliar verb—use the lookup to check.
| Pattern | Infinitive | Present | Past | Past participle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -et / -a | snakke | snakker | snakket / snakka | snakket / snakka |
| -te / -t | lese | leser | leste | lest |
| -de / -d | prøve | prøver | prøvde | prøvd |
| -dde / -dd | bo | bor | bodde | bodd |
Some verbs have additional accepted alternatives. The live lookup includes alternatives returned by the dictionary; this table focuses on the patterns.
| Meaning | Infinitive | Present | Past | Past participle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| be | være | er | var | vært |
| have | ha | har | hadde | hatt |
| go / walk | gå | går | gikk | gått |
| do / make | gjøre | gjør | gjorde | gjort |
| see | se | ser | så | sett |
| write | skrive | skriver | skrev | skrevet |
03 / Put it in a sentence
The little words make a difference.
A plan for later.
Jeg skal lese i kveld.
I am going to read tonight. Skal + infinitive is useful for plans. It is one way to talk about the future, not a special ending added to the verb.
A simple instruction.
Les teksten!
Read the text! This is the imperative. With many verbs ending in -e, remove that final letter. Check the extra forms above for the dictionary’s entry.
Grammar reading: NTNU’s present tense introduction, past tense guide and present perfect and future. The example sentences on this page are learning examples, not dictionary quotations.