by ("to offer, bid, command") is a short verb with a long reach. It is the verb behind hospitality (by på kaffe — "offer / treat someone to coffee"), behind auctions and bidding (by på et hus), and, in slightly more elevated usage, behind commanding (by noen å gjøre noe). Its forms are compact but genuinely irregular — note especially the ø in the preterite bød and the u in the supine budt — so it rewards careful attention.
Conjugation
Class: strong (contracted), from older bjuda. Auxiliary: ha.
| Tense / mood | Norwegian | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitiv | å by | to offer / to bid |
| Presens | byr | offer(s), bid(s) |
| Preteritum | bød | offered, bid |
| Perfektum | har budt | have/has offered |
| Pluskvamperfektum | hadde budt | had offered |
| Futurum | skal/vil by | will offer |
| Imperativ | by! | offer! / bid! |
| Presens partisipp | bydende | commanding (adjective) |
| Passiv (infinitiv) | å bys | to be offered |
A three-vowel strong verb
by descends from Old Norse bjóða, and that older richness is why it spreads across three distinct vowels: y → ø → u (byr / bød / budt). This is the same ablaut series that gives English bid / bade / bidden — and the kinship is exact: when you say I bade him welcome you are using the direct English cousin of Norwegian bød. English has mostly regularised "bid" in modern use, but the strong forms survive in elevated phrasing, so the Norwegian pattern should feel half-familiar.
Because all three forms differ, you cannot guess one from another. Learn the set as a unit: by / byr / bød / har budt. Watch the orthography in particular — the ø of bød and the u of budt are the two spots learners most often get wrong.
De byr alltid på noe godt når man kommer på besøk.
They always offer something nice when you come to visit.
Han bød tjue tusen for det gamle skapet på auksjonen.
He bid twenty thousand for the old cabinet at the auction.
Jeg har aldri budt så mye for noe før.
I've never bid that much for anything before.
by på — to treat someone, to offer
The everyday heart of the verb is by på: to offer or treat someone to something — food, drink, a round, an experience. The thing offered follows på. This is the verb of Norwegian hospitality, and you will hear it constantly: Kan jeg by på noe? ("Can I offer you something?"). It also stretches to "be willing to show / put up with" in a looser sense — by på seg selv means to be open and unguarded, to "give of yourself."
Kan jeg by på en kopp te mens du venter?
Can I offer you a cup of tea while you wait?
Vertinnen bød på hjemmelaget eplekake.
The hostess treated us to homemade apple cake.
Festen bød på både god mat og levende musikk.
The party offered both good food and live music.
by seg (fram) and by opp
Two more idioms are worth knowing:
- by seg (fram) — to arise, present itself, or (of a person) to volunteer. An opportunity byr seg when it comes along of its own accord. A person who byr seg fram steps forward to offer their help or services.
- by opp — to ask someone to dance. A small, fixed social idiom: han bød henne opp til vals ("he asked her to dance a waltz").
There is also the elevated, almost literary by = to command: å by noen å gjøre noe ("to bid / order someone to do something"). This is the (formal/literary) register — in ordinary speech you would use be (ask) or befale (order) instead, but it survives in the present participle adjective bydende ("commanding, imperious").
Da muligheten bød seg, takket hun ja med en gang.
When the opportunity arose, she accepted right away.
Flere meldte seg og bød seg fram som frivillige.
Several came forward and volunteered.
Han bød henne opp til den siste dansen.
He asked her for the last dance.
Common Mistakes
❌ Han byd meg på middag i går.
Incorrect — by is strong; the preterite is bød (with ø), not byd
✅ Han bød meg på middag i går.
He treated me to dinner yesterday.
❌ Vi har bød på vin til alle gjestene.
Incorrect — bød is the preterite; after har use the supine budt
✅ Vi har budt på vin til alle gjestene.
We've offered wine to all the guests.
❌ Kan jeg by deg en kaffe?
Incorrect — to offer/treat someone to something you need på: by noen på noe
✅ Kan jeg by deg på en kaffe?
Can I treat you to a coffee?
❌ Jeg har bødt for huset.
Incorrect — the supine is budt (u), not *bødt; the ø belongs only to the preterite
✅ Jeg har budt på huset.
I've put in a bid on the house.
Key Takeaways
- by / byr / bød / har budt / by! — a three-vowel strong verb (y → ø → u), cousin of English bid/bade/bidden.
- by på is the everyday "offer / treat someone to"; the thing offered follows på.
- by seg (fram) = an opportunity arises, or a person volunteers; by opp = ask to dance.
- Orthography traps: preterite bød (ø), supine budt (u) — never bødt and never byd.
Now practice Norwegian
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Start learning Norwegian→Related Topics
- The Strong Verb Ablaut ClassesB1 — The ablaut (vowel-change) classes of Norwegian strong verbs grouped by pattern — i–a–u, i–e–e, y/ju–ø–ø, a–o–å, e–a–e — each mapped onto its English cognate class so you can often guess the forms.
- Strong Verbs: Ablaut and the Vowel-Change ClassesA2 — Strong verbs build the past by changing the stem vowel instead of adding an ending (drikke → drakk → drukket) — the main ablaut series, grouped, with full tables and English cognate hooks.
- Verb Reference: How to Use These TablesA2 — How to read the Norwegian verb-reference pages — the five principal parts, weak vs strong classes, and the supine (the har-form).