S-Verbs in Norwegian

In Brief

Some common Norwegian verbs end in -s: møtes “meet each other,” synes “think,” finnes “exist,” and lykkes “succeed.” The -s may express an action done to each other, but in many everyday verbs it is simply part of the verb and its meaning. Learn these verbs as complete vocabulary items, and do not add the usual present-tense -r: jeg synes, not jeg syneser.

Overview

Norwegian s-verbs are verbs whose relevant forms end in -s. A verb is a word for an action, event, or state, such as “meet,” “happen,” or “exist.” The ending has more than one job: it can show that two or more people act on each other, it can belong permanently to a verb with a special meaning, or it can form a passive. This article focuses on the common reciprocal and fixed s-verbs introduced at A1; the full passive belongs to a later topic.

These forms matter early because they appear constantly in ordinary conversation. Norwegians say Vi møtes senere to arrange a meeting, Jeg synes det er fint to give an opinion, and Det finnes en løsning to say that a solution exists. English often translates them with different structures—“each other,” “I think,” or “there is”—so there is no single English ending that corresponds to Norwegian -s.

The best beginner strategy is therefore lexical: learn each form together with its usual sentence pattern. First master vi møtes, jeg synes (at)..., det finnes..., and lykkes med.... Later, you can connect these familiar forms to the wider Norwegian system of reciprocal and passive constructions.

How It Works

The core present-tense pattern

Ordinary Norwegian verbs usually add -r in the present: å møte → møter (“to meet → meet/meets”). The common s-verbs in this lesson do not add another present ending. Their infinitive (the dictionary form, normally used with å) and present form are identical.

Infinitive	Present	Typical meaning
å møtes	møtes	meet one another
å ses	ses	see one another
å treffes	treffes	meet one another
å snakkes	snakkes	talk to one another, usually in a farewell
å synes	synes	think, consider; sometimes seem/be visible
å finnes	finnes	exist, be available
å lykkes	lykkes	succeed
å trives	trives	enjoy oneself, feel comfortable, thrive

As with other Norwegian verbs, the form does not change with the subject:

Subject	Form	English
jeg	synes	I think
du	synes	you think
hun/han	synes	she/he thinks
vi	synes	we think
dere	synes	you think
de	synes	they think

Reciprocal -s: an action done to each other

A reciprocal action is an action that participants direct at one another. Vi møtes means that I meet you and you meet me. Because reciprocity requires more than one participant, the subject is normally plural or refers to a group:

• Vi møtes på kaféen. — “We meet at the café.”
• De ses hver helg. — “They see each other every weekend.”
• Anna og Erik treffes ofte. — “Anna and Erik meet often.”

Compare the active verb without -s:

Without -s	With -s
Jeg møter Nora. — I meet Nora.	Nora og jeg møtes. — Nora and I meet each other.
Han ser henne. — He sees her.	De ses i morgen. — They will see each other tomorrow.
Læreren treffer eleven. — The teacher meets the pupil.	Læreren og eleven treffes. — The teacher and pupil meet.

Norwegian can also express the meaning explicitly with hverandre (“each other”): De møter hverandre. For common verbs such as møtes, the s-form is shorter and very natural. Do not normally combine both signals as a beginner: de møtes or de møter hverandre is enough.

Synes: giving an opinion

Synes is best learned as a fixed verb, not decoded as a passive. It commonly introduces a personal judgment or impression. The subject (the person or thing the sentence is about) is the person holding the opinion.

Two patterns are especially useful:

1. synes (at) + clause: Jeg synes (at) filmen er god. A clause is a group of words containing its own subject and verb; here, filmen er god. In conversation, at (“that”) is often omitted.
2. synes om + noun/person: Hva synes du om boka? This asks what opinion you have of the book. In a suitable context it can also approach “like,” but like is the clearer general verb for liking something.

English “think” can mislead. Use synes for an evaluation or opinion, but usually tro for belief or uncertainty about a fact and tenke for the mental activity of thinking:

Norwegian	Natural meaning
Jeg synes maten er god.	I think the food is good. (evaluation)
Jeg tror bussen er forsinket.	I think/believe the bus is late. (belief)
Jeg tenker på familien min.	I am thinking about my family.

Finnes: existence and availability

Finnes means “exist” or “be available.” It frequently follows the formal subject det, a placeholder similar to “there” in English there is. The thing that exists comes later:

• Det finnes en løsning. — “There is a solution.”
• Det finnes mange dialekter i Norge. — “There are many dialects in Norway.”
• Finnes det et apotek her? — “Is there a pharmacy here?”

Norwegian does not change finnes for singular and plural. Compare en løsning with mange løsninger: the verb remains the same. Do not confuse it with active finner, “find/finds”: Jeg finner nøklene means “I find the keys,” not “the keys exist.”

Lykkes: succeeding

Lykkes means “succeed.” A person can be the subject, often with med followed by the task or goal:

• Hun lykkes med prosjektet. — “She succeeds with the project.”
• Vi lykkes med å finne veien. — “We succeed in finding the way.”

It can also be impersonal: Det lykkes aldri (“It never succeeds” or “It never works out”). In natural speech, speakers often name the attempt or person more clearly. Notice that English uses “succeed in doing,” while Norwegian normally uses lykkes med å gjøre.

Questions, negation, and future time

S-verbs follow normal Norwegian word order. In a statement, ikke normally comes after the finite verb (the verb carrying tense): Jeg synes ikke det er dyrt. In a yes/no question, the verb comes before the subject: Synes du det er dyrt?

The present can refer to a planned future event when a time expression makes the timing clear:

• Vi møtes i morgen. — “We’ll meet tomorrow.”
• Vi ses neste uke. — “We’ll see each other next week.”

No extra future auxiliary is required for a settled arrangement.

Examples in Context

Norwegian	English	Note
Vi møtes i morgen.	We’ll meet tomorrow.	Reciprocal; present form with future meaning
Skal vi møtes utenfor stasjonen?	Shall we meet outside the station?	Common way to suggest an arrangement
De ses nesten hver dag.	They see each other almost every day.	Reciprocal habit
Vi snakkes senere!	Talk to you later!	Fixed informal farewell
Jeg synes det er bra.	I think it’s good.	Personal evaluation
Hva synes du om den nye jobben?	What do you think of the new job?	synes om asks for an opinion
Hun synes ikke at filmen er morsom.	She doesn’t think the film is funny.	ikke follows the present verb
Det finnes mange typer.	There are many types.	Existence; the verb stays singular-looking
Finnes det en billigere billett?	Is there a cheaper ticket?	Question with verb before det
Denne boka finnes også på engelsk.	This book is also available in English.	Availability
Han lykkes med det meste.	He succeeds at most things.	lykkes med + noun phrase
Vi håper å lykkes med å finne en løsning.	We hope to succeed in finding a solution.	med å before an action
Det lykkes aldri.	It never succeeds.	Impersonal use
Barna trives på den nye skolen.	The children are happy at the new school.	Fixed s-verb expressing well-being

Common Mistakes

Adding the regular present ending

• Wrong: Jeg syneser det er fint.
• Right: Jeg synes det er fint.
• Why: Synes is already the present form. Do not attach -r or -er.

Confusing møter and møtes

• Wrong: Jeg møtes Kari på stasjonen.
• Right: Jeg møter Kari på stasjonen.
• Also right: Kari og jeg møtes på stasjonen.
• Why: Active møter takes another person as its object (the person receiving the action). Reciprocal møtes presents both people as participants in the subject.

Using synes for every English “think”

• Wrong: Jeg synes at han kommer i morgen. (if you mean a factual guess)
• Right: Jeg tror at han kommer i morgen.
• Why: Synes normally gives an evaluation; tror expresses a belief or guess. Use tenker for the activity of thinking, as in Jeg tenker på deg.

Confusing finnes with finner

• Wrong: Jeg finnes ikke nøklene.
• Right: Jeg finner ikke nøklene.
• Why: Finne/finner means “find.” Finnes means “exist” or “be available”: Nøklene finnes ikke her means “The keys are not here/do not exist here.”

Copying the English preposition after lykkes

• Wrong: Hun lykkes i å åpne døra.
• Right: Hun lykkes med å åpne døra.
• Why: The standard learner pattern is lykkes med + noun or lykkes med å + infinitive.

Treating every -s verb as reciprocal

• Wrong interpretation: Jeg synes det er bra = “I think each other it is good.”
• Right interpretation: “I think it is good.”
• Why: The ending has several histories and functions. In synes, finnes, lykkes, and trives, learn the whole verb and its own meaning.

Usage Notes

Vi ses! and Vi snakkes! are frequent, informal leave-taking expressions. Their natural English equivalents are “See you!” and “Talk to you later!” rather than literal full sentences. Vi møtes is neutral and useful in both speech and writing when arranging where or when people will meet.

Synes is central to polite, everyday opinion-giving. Jeg synes... often sounds less absolute than stating an evaluation as a bare fact. The question Hva synes du? invites an opinion, while Hva tror du? usually asks what someone believes will happen or be true.

Det finnes overlaps with det er (“there is/are”). Det er en kafé i gata simply locates or introduces a café; det finnes en kafé i gata emphasizes that such a café exists or is available. In many everyday contexts either may work, but they do not always carry exactly the same focus.

This article uses Bokmål, the most widely used written standard. The verbs themselves are common across Norway, though pronunciation and corresponding Nynorsk forms may differ. In speech, you may hear final sounds reduced, so use the sentence meaning—not only the audible s—to identify the form.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following distinctions at A1, but they explain why not all s-verbs behave alike.

Three overlapping categories

Norwegian grammar often distinguishes:

1. Reciprocal forms, such as møtes and ses, where participants act on one another.
2. Deponent verbs, which look passive because of -s but have an active or stative meaning. Synes, lykkes, and trives are commonly taught in this group. “Deponent” simply means that the verb has the s-form without an ordinary passive meaning.
3. The s-passive, where -s marks that something undergoes an action: Billettene selges på nettet (“The tickets are sold online”). This is productive grammar, especially in notices, instructions, and formal writing, and is treated separately in S-Passive.

Context can be essential. Dørene møtes på midten can describe doors coming together, while Vi møtes på midten may literally mean that people meet halfway and can also support a figurative compromise reading.

Past and perfect forms

Several frequent s-verbs have forms worth recognizing later. The past participle is the form used after har in the perfect tense, as in English “has met.”

Infinitive	Present	Past	Perfect example
møtes	møtes	møttes	Vi har møttes før. — We have met before.
synes	synes	syntes	Jeg har alltid syntes det. — I have always thought that.
finnes	finnes	fantes	Det har funnes flere løsninger. — Several solutions have existed.
lykkes	lykkes	lyktes	Hun har lyktes med prosjektet. — She has succeeded with the project.
trives	trives	trivdes	De har trivdes her. — They have enjoyed living here.

The pair synes–syntes deserves special attention: synes is present and syntes is past. In rapid speech and informal writing, learners may overlook the extra t, but it changes the tense.

Meanings beyond the beginner core

Synes can also mean “be visible” or “seem/appear” in less basic uses, depending on construction and context. Do not force the opinion meaning onto every occurrence. Likewise, finnes may be translated as “be found,” “be available,” or “exist”; choose the English wording that fits the situation rather than translating word for word.

Reciprocity can also be expressed with hverandre, and that option is clearer when no conventional s-verb exists or when the writer wants to emphasize the relationship: De hjelper hverandre (“They help each other”). Norwegian does not freely turn every verb into a natural reciprocal s-verb, so copy forms you encounter from reliable usage instead of inventing them.

Practice Tips

1. Learn a frame, not an isolated word. Make four starter patterns—Vi møtes..., Jeg synes (at)..., Det finnes..., and lykkes med...—then complete each with five realistic endings from your own life.
2. Practice the active/reciprocal contrast. Pair sentences such as Jeg møter Eva with Eva og jeg møtes. This trains both meaning and sentence structure.
3. Sort examples by meaning. While reading or listening, label each s-form “each other,” “fixed verb,” or “passive.” At first, focus on recognizing the familiar fixed verbs rather than explaining every ending.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Tense — provides the ordinary present-tense pattern that s-verbs contrast with.
• Later contrast: S-Passive — explains productive passive forms ending in -s.
• Useful extension: Perfect Tense — helps you use forms such as har møttes and har lyktes.