Infinitive with Å in Norwegian

In Brief

Norwegian å is an infinitive marker, often corresponding to English to: å lese means “to read.” Use it in patterns such as prøver å lese (“tries to read”), but leave it out after modal verbs: kan lese (“can read”), not kan å lese.

Overview

The infinitive is the basic, unconjugated form of a verb—the form represented by “to read,” “to eat,” or “to understand” in English. In Norwegian, this form is often introduced by å: å lese, å spise, å forstå. The marker does not describe time or identify who performs the action. That information normally comes from another verb or from the rest of the sentence.

This is an A1 grammar point because infinitives appear in everyday sentences from the beginning: when you say what you like to do, what you are trying to do, or what is easy or difficult to do. A typical sentence contains a conjugated verb followed by å + infinitive: Hun begynner å løpe (“She starts to run”). The first verb, begynner, carries the present-tense ending; løpe remains unchanged.

English to is a useful first comparison, but it is not a perfect translation rule. English sometimes uses an -ing form where Norwegian uses å + infinitive, and both languages omit their infinitive marker in some constructions. It is therefore best to learn common Norwegian patterns as complete units: prøve å, begynne å, pleie å, and modal + bare infinitive.

How It Works

The basic pattern

The most useful beginner pattern is:

Part	Function	Example
Conjugated verb	Shows tense and agrees with the sentence structure	prøver
å	Marks the following verb as an infinitive	å
Infinitive	Names the second action without a tense ending	forstå

Together: Jeg prøver å forstå — “I try to understand.”

Only the first verb is conjugated:

• Jeg prøver å forstå. — I try to understand.
• Jeg prøvde å forstå. — I tried to understand.
• Vi begynner å spise. — We begin to eat.
• Vi begynte å spise. — We began to eat.

The infinitives forstå and spise do not change when the tense of the first verb changes.

Recognizing the infinitive

Many Norwegian infinitives end in -e, such as snakke (“speak”), kjøpe (“buy”), and skrive (“write”). Some common short infinitives do not: bo (“live”), gå (“go”), se (“see”), and ta (“take”). Do not create an infinitive by simply removing the present-tense -r unless you already know the verb’s form; learn the infinitive together with its present tense.

Infinitive	Present tense	English
å snakke	snakker	to speak / speaks
å skrive	skriver	to write / writes
å bo	bor	to live / lives
å gå	går	to go / goes
å gjøre	gjør	to do / does

In vocabulary lists, verbs are frequently shown with å because it makes their word class and basic form immediately clear. Strictly speaking, however, å is the marker placed before the infinitive; it is not part of the verb itself. The verb in å spise is spise.

Common verbs followed by å + infinitive

A large and useful group of verbs introduces another action with å:

Pattern	Typical meaning	Example
prøve å	try to	Jeg prøver å huske.
begynne å	begin/start to	Det begynner å regne.
slutte å	stop doing	Han slutter å røyke.
pleie å	usually do	Vi pleier å spise tidlig.
håpe å	hope to	Jeg håper å komme.
glemme å	forget to	Ikke glem å ringe.
lære å	learn to	Hun lærer å kjøre.
like å	like doing	De liker å reise.

Notice the English comparison in like doing. Norwegian commonly says like å gjøre noe, using an infinitive where English often prefers an -ing form. Translating one word at a time can therefore produce the wrong structure.

After adjectives and impersonal expressions

An infinitive phrase can explain what is easy, useful, pleasant, or difficult. Norwegian often uses the neutral subject det (“it”) in this pattern:

Det er + adjective + å + infinitive

• Det er lett å lære. — It is easy to learn.
• Det er viktig å lytte. — It is important to listen.
• Det er godt å vite. — It is good to know.

Here, the infinitive phrase (the marker and verb, sometimes with additional words) names the activity being evaluated.

No å after modal verbs

A modal verb is a helper verb that expresses ability, willingness, obligation, permission, advice, or plans. Common Norwegian modals include kan, vil, skal, må, bør, and får. They are followed by a bare infinitive—an infinitive without å.

Modal pattern	Correct	English
kan + infinitive	Jeg kan svømme.	I can swim.
vil + infinitive	Hun vil spise.	She wants to eat.
skal + infinitive	Vi skal reise.	We are going to travel.
må + infinitive	Du må vente.	You must wait.
bør + infinitive	Dere bør spørre.	You should ask.
får + infinitive	Han får komme inn.	He may come in.

English behaves similarly after can, must, and should: English says “can swim,” not “can to swim.” Be careful with vil, however. Depending on context, vil can express willingness, desire, or future intention, but its Norwegian grammar remains modal + bare infinitive: vil reise.

Negation

At beginner level, put ikke after the conjugated verb in an ordinary main clause:

• Jeg prøver ikke å le. — I am not trying to laugh.
• Hun vil ikke gå. — She does not want to go.

These sentences show two different points. In the first, ikke negates prøver, while å still introduces le. In the second, vil is modal, so gå has no å.

Examples in Context

Norwegian	English	Note
Jeg prøver å forstå.	I try to understand.	prøve å + infinitive
Det er godt å vite.	It is good to know.	After an adjective
Hun begynner å løpe.	She starts to run.	begynne å + infinitive
Vi pleier å spise kl. 18.	We usually eat at 6 p.m.	Habit with pleie å
Jeg liker å lese før jeg legger meg.	I like reading before I go to bed.	English naturally uses -ing here
Kan du hjelpe meg?	Can you help me?	No å after modal kan
Dere må huske å låse døra.	You must remember to lock the door.	må huske has no å; huske å låse does
Hun håper å finne en ny jobb.	She hopes to find a new job.	håpe å + infinitive
Det begynner å bli kaldt.	It is beginning to get cold.	Common weather pattern
Han sluttet å røyke i fjor.	He stopped smoking last year.	slutte å + infinitive
Ikke glem å sende meldingen.	Do not forget to send the message.	Imperative followed by å sende
Vi skal prøve å komme tidlig.	We will try to arrive early.	No å after skal; å after prøve
Det er vanskelig å uttale dette ordet.	It is difficult to pronounce this word.	The infinitive phrase gives the activity
Barna lærer å svømme.	The children are learning to swim.	lære å + infinitive

The longer examples are especially useful because they show that one sentence may contain both patterns. In Vi skal prøve å komme tidlig, skal takes the bare infinitive prøve, and prøve then takes å komme.

Common Mistakes

Adding å after a modal

• Wrong: Jeg kan å snakke norsk.
• Right: Jeg kan snakke norsk.
• Why: Kan is a modal verb, and modal verbs take a bare infinitive.

Omitting å after an ordinary verb pattern

• Wrong: Hun begynner løpe.
• Right: Hun begynner å løpe.
• Why: The standard pattern is begynne å + infinitive. Learn the verb and marker together.

Conjugating both verbs

• Wrong: Jeg prøver å forstår.
• Right: Jeg prøver å forstå.
• Why: The first verb is conjugated. The verb after å stays in the infinitive.

Copying the English -ing form

• Wrong: Jeg liker leser.
• Right: Jeg liker å lese.
• Why: English “I like reading” commonly corresponds to Norwegian Jeg liker å lese. The second action needs å + infinitive, not a present-tense verb.

Confusing å and og

• Wrong: Jeg prøver og forstå.
• Right: Jeg prøver å forstå.
• Why: Å marks an infinitive; og means “and.” They are usually pronounced alike, so this error is particularly common in writing. Test whether “and” makes sense: kaffe og te (“coffee and tea”) uses og, but “try and/to understand” in this grammatical pattern uses å.

Inserting å before every infinitive-looking verb

• Wrong: Vi skal å prøve å komme.
• Right: Vi skal prøve å komme.
• Why: Decide from the word immediately governing the infinitive. Skal requires bare prøve; prøve requires å komme.

Usage Notes

Written Bokmål and spoken Norwegian

This article uses standard Bokmål forms. In speech, many dialects use infinitive forms that differ from the written Bokmål form—for example, some dialects drop final -e, while others preserve different infinitive endings. The basic contrast between an infinitive marker and a bare infinitive is still useful, but pronunciation varies considerably across Norway.

Because å and og normally sound the same, native speakers can also confuse them in informal writing. Meaning and sentence structure—not pronunciation—tell you which spelling is correct.

English “to” does not always predict å

Do not assume that every English to becomes Norwegian å. In “I am going to Oslo,” to is a preposition showing direction, not an infinitive marker: Jeg drar til Oslo. Conversely, Norwegian may use å + infinitive where idiomatic English uses -ing: Hun elsker å danse means “She loves dancing.” Translate the whole construction rather than the isolated word.

Pleie å for usual habits

Pleie å is a very common way to say what someone normally or usually does. English places “usually” as an adverb, but Norwegian can package the habitual meaning in the verb pleier:

• Jeg pleier å ta bussen. — I usually take the bus.
• Pleier dere å spise sammen? — Do you usually eat together?

Beyond the Basics: Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following points at A1, but they explain forms you will meet later.

Infinitive phrases after prepositions and fixed expressions

Norwegian builds several important connectors with å + infinitive. These are treated more fully under advanced infinitive constructions:

• for å — in order to: Jeg trener for å bli sterkere.
• uten å — without doing: Han gikk uten å si noe.
• i stedet for å — instead of doing: Vi gikk i stedet for å vente.

These phrases can express purpose, manner, or an alternative. When the infinitive phrase has an understood subject, it is normally the same person or thing as the subject of the main clause. In Jeg trener for å bli sterkere, it is jeg who will become stronger.

Bare infinitives beyond modal verbs

Modal verbs are the essential beginner case, but they are not the only environment where å can be absent. Certain verbs of perception and causation can occur with an object followed by a bare infinitive:

• Jeg så ham gå. — I saw him leave/walk.
• Hun hørte barnet gråte. — She heard the child cry.
• La meg tenke. — Let me think.

These are separate constructions, not exceptions to memorize on your first day. Learn them with the governing verb, just as you learn kan svømme and prøver å forstå as patterns.

Where ikke can appear

When the second action itself is negative, modern Norwegian can place ikke close to that infinitive:

• Jeg prøver å ikke le. — I try not to laugh.
• Jeg prøver ikke å le. — I am not trying to laugh / I try not to laugh.

The intended contrast may be clearer in context: the first explicitly makes “not laughing” the goal, while the second can negate the act of trying. You may also encounter ikke å le in more formal or carefully edited prose. At A1, use straightforward sentences and notice what ikke is meant to negate.

Coordinated infinitives

When two infinitives are joined by og (“and”), Norwegian may repeat å, especially when each action is presented separately:

• Jeg liker å lese og å skrive. — I like to read and to write.
• Jeg liker å lese og skrive. — I like to read and write.

Both structures occur. Repeating å can make a long or contrastive sentence easier to understand. This is also a useful reminder that å and og have different jobs even when they stand next to similar verb forms.

Practice Tips

1. Learn verb chains, not isolated words. Put prøver å forstå, begynner å jobbe, pleier å spise, and kan svømme on cards. This trains the choice between å and no å automatically.
2. Use the “first verb changes” drill. Take Jeg prøver å lære norsk and change the first verb to past tense or change the subject: Jeg prøvde å lære norsk; De prøver å lære norsk. Keep å lære unchanged.
3. Listen, then check the spelling. Since å and og sound alike, write down short sentences from audio and ask whether the word means “and” or introduces an infinitive. The surrounding grammar gives the answer.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Tense — helps you recognize which verb in a verb chain is conjugated.
• Next steps: Infinitive Constructions — develops patterns such as for å, uten å, and i stedet for å.