Present Participle in Norwegian

In Brief

The Norwegian present participle normally ends in -ende: lese → lesende (“reading”), gå → gående (“walking”). It can describe a noun or add a simultaneous action, but it is not the ordinary way to translate English progressive forms such as “I am reading”: Norwegian normally says Jeg leser.

Overview

A participle is a verb form that can do some of the work of an adjective (a describing word) or add information about an action. The Norwegian present participle, called presens partisipp, presents an action or state as ongoing or simultaneous: en sovende hund is “a sleeping dog,” and Hun kom løpende means “She came running.” Despite its name, it does not itself mark present time. The tense comes from the finite verb—the verb carrying tense—in the surrounding sentence.

This form becomes especially useful at C1 because it is common in compact written descriptions, journalism, formal prose, and established expressions. You will also hear frequent forms such as spennende (“exciting”), overraskende (“surprising”), stående (“standing”), and gående (“walking/on foot”) much earlier. Some of these feel more like ordinary adjectives than freshly formed verb forms.

For English speakers, the main challenge is not forming the Norwegian participle but resisting the temptation to match every English -ing form with -ende. English “I am working,” “Working is healthy,” and “a working machine” use superficially similar forms for three different jobs. Norwegian often uses, respectively, the ordinary present tense, an infinitive or verbal noun, and an adjective or participle.

How It Works

Forming the present participle

For most verbs, begin with the infinitive (the dictionary form, usually shown with å) and form a word ending in -ende. With infinitives ending in unstressed -e, that final e is replaced by -ende. Other infinitives add -ende directly.

Infinitive	Present participle	English meaning
å snakke	snakkende	speaking, talking
å lese	lesende	reading
å smile	smilende	smiling
å synge	syngende	singing
å gå	gående	walking, going
å stå	stående	standing
å bo	boende	living, residing
å gjøre	gjørende	doing
å være	værende	being, remaining

The spelling follows the Norwegian verb, not the English translation. Forms such as gående and stående keep the vowel of the infinitive. Some theoretically possible participles are uncommon in everyday use; grammatical formation does not guarantee that a form will sound idiomatic in every sentence.

No agreement for gender, number, or definiteness

Unlike an ordinary adjective, a present participle does not change to agree with its noun. Agreement means changing a describing word to match features such as singular, plural, or neuter gender.

Noun phrase	Form	English
en smilende gutt	smilende	a smiling boy
et smilende barn	smilende	a smiling child
smilende barn	smilende	smiling children
de smilende barna	smilende	the smiling children

Do not add -t for a neuter noun or another -e for the plural. The ending -ende stays unchanged.

Before a noun: an adjective-like description

A participle may stand before a noun (a word for a person, thing, place, or idea): en snakkende fugl, rennende vann, en voksende bekymring. It usually describes the noun as actively performing or experiencing the verb’s action.

This construction is compact and useful, but Norwegian often prefers a relative clause—a clause beginning with som (“who/that/which”)—when the description is long or needs its own subject, tense, object, or negation:

• mannen som står ved døra — “the man who is standing by the door”
• studentene som ikke deltar — “the students who are not participating”

Den stående mannen is possible, but it describes “the standing man” as a category or visible characteristic. Mannen som står ved døra is usually more natural when identifying a particular man by what he is doing now.

After another verb: a simultaneous action or resulting position

The participle can add an action that happens at the same time as the main verb:

• Hun kom løpende. — “She came running.”
• Han satt lesende ved vinduet. — “He sat reading by the window.”
• De ble stående utenfor. — “They remained standing outside.”

This pattern is especially natural with movement and position forms such as kom løpende, gikk syngende, ble sittende, and ble stående. However, Han satt lesende can sound more written or descriptive than everyday Han satt og leste (“He was sitting and reading”). Norwegian commonly coordinates two finite verbs with og where English uses an -ing clause.

With bli plus a participle of position, the meaning is often “end up/remain in that position”: Hun ble sittende means that she stayed seated, not simply that she “became sitting.” These combinations are partly conventional and should be learned as phrases.

Predicate and established adjective uses

A predicate describes the subject after a linking verb such as være (“be”):

• Det er overraskende. — “It is surprising.”
• Filmen var spennende. — “The film was exciting.”
• Situasjonen virker truende. — “The situation seems threatening.”

Many frequent -ende words have become established adjectives. Their meaning may describe an effect rather than a literal ongoing action: spennende is “exciting,” not simply “tensing”; tilfredsstillende is “satisfactory”; omfattende means “extensive.” Like other adjectives that do not take ordinary -t/-e agreement, they retain their form: et spennende forslag, spennende forslag.

Why it is not an English-style progressive tense

Norwegian has no direct equivalent of the English be + -ing tense. The simple Norwegian present often covers both English simple and progressive meanings.

English idea	Natural Norwegian	Avoid
I read Norwegian books.	Jeg leser norske bøker.	—
I am reading now.	Jeg leser nå.	Jeg er lesende nå.
She is working today.	Hun jobber i dag.	Hun er jobbende i dag.
They are eating.	De spiser.	De er spisende.

When the ongoing nature matters, Norwegian can use holde på å + infinitive: Jeg holder på å lese (“I’m in the middle of reading”). With posture verbs, sitte/stå/ligge og plus a finite verb is also common: Hun sitter og skriver (“She is sitting writing”).

English gerunds—-ing forms used like nouns—also normally require a different Norwegian construction. “Swimming is healthy” is Det er sunt å svømme or Svømming er sunt, not normally Svømmende er sunt.

Examples in Context

Norwegian	English	Note
En snakkende fugl vakte stor oppmerksomhet.	A talking bird attracted a lot of attention.	Participial description before a noun
Smilende barn løp ut i skolegården.	Smiling children ran into the schoolyard.	The form does not change in the plural
Han satt lesende ved vinduet.	He sat reading by the window.	Compact, somewhat written description
Hun kom løpende ned trappa.	She came running down the stairs.	Simultaneous manner with a movement verb
Vi ble stående og vente på bussen.	We ended up standing and waiting for the bus.	Conventional ble stående construction
Det er overraskende at ingen protesterte.	It is surprising that nobody objected.	Established adjective after er
De presenterte en overbevisende forklaring.	They presented a convincing explanation.	Describes the effect of the explanation
Bedriften har et voksende behov for fagfolk.	The company has a growing need for skilled workers.	Common in formal and business prose
Rennende vann kan fryse i rørene.	Running water can freeze in the pipes.	Before a mass noun
Mannen som står ved døra, er naboen min.	The man standing by the door is my neighbor.	A relative clause is more natural for identification
Hun sitter og skriver en rapport.	She is sitting writing a report.	Everyday alternative to a participle
Jeg holder på å lage middag.	I am in the middle of making dinner.	Explicit ongoing construction, no participle
De reisende bes om å gå til gate 12.	Passengers are requested to go to gate 12.	Substantivized participle: a form used as a noun
Rapporten gir et stadig mer urovekkende bilde.	The report gives an increasingly alarming picture.	Degree expressed with mer

Common Mistakes

Translating every English progressive with er + -ende

• Wrong: Jeg er lesende en bok.
• Right: Jeg leser en bok.
• Also possible when emphasis is needed: Jeg holder på å lese en bok.
• Why: Norwegian normally uses the simple present for an action happening now. Være + present participle is not a productive progressive tense like English be + -ing.

Making the participle agree like an ordinary adjective

• Wrong: et smilendet barn / smilendene barn
• Right: et smilende barn / smilende barn
• Why: Present participles are indeclinable: their -ende form remains the same with masculine, feminine, neuter, singular, plural, and definite nouns.

Using a participle where English has a gerund

• Wrong: Svømmende er sunt.
• Right: Det er sunt å svømme. / Svømming er sunt.
• Why: Here “swimming” names an activity rather than describing someone performing it. Norwegian generally uses the infinitive å svømme or the verbal noun svømming.

Forcing a compressed phrase when a relative clause is clearer

• Awkward: den ved døra ventende mannen
• Better: mannen som venter ved døra
• Why: Norwegian permits participles before nouns, but a relative clause is usually clearer and more idiomatic when the participle has additional details attached to it.

Assuming every possible -ende form is equally natural

• Awkward in ordinary speech: Jeg så en spisende kvinne.
• More natural: Jeg så en kvinne som spiste.
• Why: Productive grammar allows spisende, but actual usage depends on context. A participle works best when the action classifies the person or creates a concise descriptive image; otherwise, a som clause often wins.

Usage Notes

Present participles are more frequent in writing than in casual conversation. News reports, professional documents, and academic prose value their compactness: økende kostnader (“increasing costs”), gjeldende regler (“current/applicable rules”), manglende dokumentasjon (“missing documentation”), and kommende endringer (“forthcoming changes”). Some of these are lexicalized: speakers store them as familiar words or phrases rather than creating them afresh each time.

In speech, Norwegian often chooses a relative clause or two verbs joined by og: jenta som synger rather than den syngende jenta, and han satt og leste rather than han satt lesende. The participial version is not necessarily wrong; it can sound more formal, literary, compressed, or focused on the visual scene.

Bokmål variation does not alter the central -ende rule. Pronunciation naturally varies by region, and Nynorsk has its own written norms, but this article describes Bokmål forms and usage.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Participles used as nouns

A present participle can be substantivized, meaning used as a noun for a person characterized by an activity or status. It then commonly appears with a determiner (a small identifying word such as en, den, or de):

• en reisende — a traveler
• de reisende — the travelers/passengers
• en næringsdrivende — a business operator
• den forbipasserende — the passerby

The participle itself still ends in -ende. Number and definiteness are shown mainly by the surrounding words and context: en reisende versus de reisende.

Comparison and degree

When an -ende form functions as an adjective and has a gradable meaning, comparison normally uses mer and mest, not endings such as -ere and -est:

• en mer overbevisende forklaring — a more convincing explanation
• det mest overraskende resultatet — the most surprising result
• stadig mer urovekkende nyheter — increasingly alarming news

Not every participle can logically be compared. Mer sittende is unusual unless a special contrast makes “more seated” meaningful.

Time and logical relationships

The term “present” can mislead. The participle generally expresses an action viewed as ongoing at the time of the main event, whatever that event’s tense:

• Hun kom løpende. — the running accompanied her arrival in the past.
• Han vil komme gående. — the walking will accompany his arrival in the future.

The participle does not independently identify the subject or tense. Usually its implied subject is the same as the subject of the main clause. Avoid constructions where that link is unclear. Instead of a compressed phrase that could attach to the wrong noun, use a full clause with som, mens, or another connector.

Lexicalized meanings

Advanced reading requires recognizing that many -ende words no longer have a transparent, literal verb meaning. Gjeldende regler means “the rules currently in force,” vedkommende can mean “the person concerned,” and tilsynelatende means “apparently.” Treat such items as vocabulary while still recognizing the participial pattern. Their established meanings cannot always be predicted by translating the base verb.

Practice Tips

1. Sort English -ing examples by function. For each sentence, ask whether the form is part of a progressive tense, names an activity, or describes a noun. Then choose Norwegian present tense, infinitive/verbal noun, or -ende accordingly.
2. Learn participles in natural chunks. Record combinations such as kom løpende, ble stående, økende priser, gjeldende regler, and et spennende spørsmål. A phrase gives you register and meaning that a bare form cannot.
3. Rewrite in both directions. Change mannen som venter utenfor to den ventende mannen, then decide which suits the context better. Do the same with han satt og leste and han satt lesende. This builds stylistic judgment rather than just formation skills.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Tense — provides the finite present forms that Norwegian usually uses where English has a progressive construction.
• Next step: Past Participle as Adjective — contrasts the active, ongoing meaning of many present participles with past participles and their agreement patterns.