Time adverbs answer when — now, then, soon, already, still, yet. Most are simple one-to-one swaps you can learn as vocabulary, but three pairs cut across the English system in ways that cause persistent, fossilised errors: nå / da (Norwegian splits now and then where English blurs then), allerede / ennå (already vs. still/yet), and ennå / fortsatt (two flavours of still). This page sorts those out and notes which adverbs pull a particular verb tense along with them.
The everyday inventory
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| nå | now |
| da | then (a point in time) |
| snart | soon |
| straks / med en gang | right away / immediately |
| allerede | already |
| ennå (also written enda as a time adverb) | still / yet |
| fortsatt | still (ongoing) |
| alltid | always |
| aldri | never |
| ofte | often |
| sjelden | seldom / rarely |
| av og til | now and then / occasionally |
| tidligere | earlier / previously |
| siden | since / ago |
Jeg kommer nå.
I'm coming now.
Vi drar snart.
We're leaving soon.
Han er aldri sen.
He's never late.
nå and da: the now/then split
English uses then loosely — back then, and then, see you then. Norwegian draws a sharp line. nå is now, the present moment. da is then meaning a specific point in time other than now — typically the past, sometimes a future moment already under discussion. They are not interchangeable, and using nå where you mean then is a classic transfer error.
Jeg bodde i Bergen da. Nå bor jeg i Oslo.
I lived in Bergen then. Now I live in Oslo.
Vi var unge da, og hadde ingen bekymringer.
We were young then, and had no worries.
The contrast in that first sentence is the whole lesson: da points back to the past period in Bergen, nå to the present in Oslo. A useful tie-in: this da (the time adverb then) is closely related to the subordinating conjunction da (when, for a single past event) — both anchor to a point in past time. That conjunction is covered on conjunctions/subordinating-time, and the når/da choice gets a full page of its own. For now: now = nå, then (at that time) = da.
Ring meg når du er ferdig, så snakkes vi da.
Call me when you're done, and we'll talk then.
Here the second da points forward — to the future moment named by når du er ferdig. It is still "that specific time," just a future one rather than a past one.
allerede vs. ennå: already vs. still/yet
These two are mirror images on the timeline, and English speakers swap them constantly. allerede means already — sooner than expected, the event has happened. ennå covers still (in positive sentences) and yet (in negative ones) — the situation is not over, or the awaited thing has not happened.
Han er allerede hjemme.
He's already home.
Hun bor her ennå.
She still lives here.
Jeg har ikke spist ennå.
I haven't eaten yet.
Look at the third example: in the negative, ennå is yet (not eaten yet). In the positive (second example), the same ennå is still (still lives here). One word, two English translations, sorted entirely by whether the clause is positive or negative. This is the split English keeps as two separate words (still / yet), so you have to consciously collapse them onto ennå.
Er du ikke ferdig ennå?
Aren't you finished yet?
The tense pairing matters too: allerede very naturally pulls the present perfect, because already is fundamentally about a completed event with present relevance.
Jeg har allerede sett den filmen.
I've already seen that film.
That collocation — har allerede + perfect participle — is worth memorising as a unit. (For the broader logic of when Norwegian chooses the perfect over the simple past, see verbs/preterite-vs-perfect.)
ennå and fortsatt: two kinds of "still"
Both ennå and fortsatt can translate as still, and in many sentences they are interchangeable. The shade of difference: fortsatt emphasises an ongoing, continuing state — the action has not stopped — while ennå emphasises that an expected end point has not yet arrived. Fortsatt is unambiguously still; ennå carries the extra yet sense in negatives.
Det regner fortsatt.
It's still raining.
Bor du fortsatt i Oslo?
Do you still live in Oslo?
Jeg er her ennå.
I'm still here.
For a plain ongoing situation — it's still raining, are you still working — reach for fortsatt; it is never ambiguous. Use ennå when there is an implied "and we're waiting for it to end/happen," and remember it is the form that turns into yet under negation.
Positioning time adverbs
Time adverbs are flexible. They often come at the end of the clause, but you can front a time adverb for emphasis or to set the scene — and because Norwegian is V2, fronting it inverts subject and verb:
Nå må vi gå.
Now we have to go.
Notice må vi (verb before subject): the fronted nå takes first position, so the verb stays second and the subject follows. Compare the neutral Vi må gå nå. Both are correct; fronting nå just gives it weight.
Av og til tar jeg toget i stedet for bilen.
Now and then I take the train instead of the car.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jeg bodde i Bergen nå.
Incorrect — this refers to a past time, which is da, not nå.
✅ Jeg bodde i Bergen da.
I lived in Bergen then.
Nå is strictly the present moment. For then (at that past time), use da. The past-tense verb bodde is a giveaway that you mean da.
❌ Han bor her allerede.
Wrong sense — 'still lives here' is an ongoing state, which needs ennå/fortsatt, not allerede.
✅ Han bor her ennå.
He still lives here.
allerede = already (a completed, earlier-than-expected event). For still (an ongoing state), use ennå or fortsatt. These are opposite ends of the timeline.
❌ Jeg har ikke spist allerede.
Incorrect — 'not yet' is ikke ... ennå, not allerede.
✅ Jeg har ikke spist ennå.
I haven't eaten yet.
In a negative sentence, yet is ennå. Allerede never appears in this "not yet" frame.
❌ Vi snakkes nå, etter møtet.
Incorrect — referring to a future point already named, you need da.
✅ Vi snakkes da, etter møtet.
We'll talk then, after the meeting.
Even pointing forward, then for an identified moment is da. Nå would mean right now, contradicting after the meeting.
❌ Hun er fortsatt ikke kommet.
Awkward — for 'not yet (arrived)' Norwegian prefers ennå.
✅ Hun har ikke kommet ennå.
She hasn't arrived yet.
When the meaning is "the awaited event hasn't happened yet," use ennå. Fortsatt is for an ongoing positive state (det regner fortsatt), not the "not yet" frame.
Key Takeaways
- nå = now (present); da = then (a specific other point, usually past) — English then must be split onto da.
- allerede = already (completed, earlier than expected), and pairs naturally with the present perfect (har allerede sett).
- ennå covers both still (positive: bor her ennå) and yet (negative: ikke ... ennå) — one word for two English ones.
- fortsatt is unambiguous still (ongoing) — best for "hasn't stopped" (det regner fortsatt).
- Fronting a time adverb triggers V2 inversion: Nå må vi gå.
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