foreslå ("to suggest, to propose") is the verb you reach for in meetings, plans and friendly negotiations — jeg foreslår at vi… ("I suggest that we…"). It looks like a long, intimidating word, but it is simply the prefix fore- ("forth, before") welded onto the everyday strong verb slå ("to hit, to strike"). Once you see that, the whole conjugation falls out for free: whatever slå does, foreslå does with fore- in front.
Conjugation
Class: strong, å-stem (contracted), built on slå. Auxiliary: ha. The prefix fore- is inseparable — it never breaks off the verb the way English "put forward" splits.
| Tense / mood | Norwegian | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitiv | å foreslå | to suggest |
| Presens | foreslår | suggest(s), propose(s) |
| Preteritum | foreslo | suggested |
| Perfektum | har foreslått | have/has suggested |
| Pluskvamperfektum | hadde foreslått | had suggested |
| Futurum | skal/vil foreslå | will suggest |
| Imperativ | foreslå! | suggest! |
| Presens partisipp | foreslående | suggesting (rare) |
The hidden strong verb inside it
Norwegian builds dozens of verbs by bolting a prefix onto a short base verb, and the base keeps its original conjugation. foreslå is the clearest case: the strong ablaut of slå survives untouched.
- slå: slå / slår / slo / slått
- foreslå: foreslå / foreslår / foreslo / foreslått
English speakers instinctively want a -ed or a regular ending on a long Latin-looking word like this, but foreslå is Germanic to the core and stays strong. The lesson generalises: when you meet påstå ("to claim," from stå), forstå ("to understand," from stå) or angå ("to concern," from gå), look for the base verb and copy its pattern.
Jeg foreslår at vi tar en pause nå.
I suggest we take a break now.
Hun foreslo en helt ny løsning på problemet.
She suggested a completely new solution to the problem.
Legen har foreslått at jeg bør trene mer.
The doctor has suggested that I should exercise more.
How to attach what you suggest
There are two main frames, and they map cleanly to English:
- foreslå å + infinitive — suggest doing something (same subject or general): Jeg foreslår å vente. ("I suggest waiting.")
- foreslå at + clause — suggest that someone do something: Jeg foreslår at du venter. ("I suggest that you wait.")
You can also foreslå a plain noun directly: foreslå en kandidat ("propose a candidate"), foreslå et navn ("suggest a name"). Note that Norwegian does not use a subjunctive in the at-clause the way formal English does ("I suggest that he be here"); Norwegian just uses the ordinary present or a modal: foreslår at han kommer / bør komme.
Kan jeg foreslå å møtes litt tidligere i morgen?
Can I suggest meeting a bit earlier tomorrow?
De foreslo at vi skulle dele regningen.
They suggested that we split the bill.
Hva foreslår du at vi gjør med restene?
What do you suggest we do with the leftovers?
The noun: et forslag
The matching noun is et forslag ("a suggestion, a proposal"), plural forslag (no ending) or forslagene (definite plural). You "make" a suggestion with komme med or legge fram a forslag, not with gjøre:
- komme med et forslag — to make/offer a suggestion
- legge fram et forslag — to put forward a proposal (formal)
- stemme over et forslag — to vote on a proposal (formal)
Har du noen forslag til hva vi kan spise i kveld?
Do you have any suggestions for what we can eat tonight?
Forslaget ble vedtatt med stort flertall.
The proposal was passed by a large majority.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jeg foreslog at vi venter.
Incorrect — foreslå is strong like slå; the preterite is foreslo, not *foreslog
✅ Jeg foreslo at vi venter.
I suggested that we wait.
❌ Han har foreslådd en ny plan.
Incorrect — the supine is foreslått (å + double-t), like slått
✅ Han har foreslått en ny plan.
He has suggested a new plan.
❌ Jeg foreslår fore en pause.
Incorrect — fore- is an inseparable prefix; never split it off the verb
✅ Jeg foreslår en pause.
I suggest a break.
❌ Jeg vil gjøre et forslag.
Incorrect — you don't 'do' a forslag; you komme med one
✅ Jeg vil komme med et forslag.
I'd like to make a suggestion.
Key Takeaways
- foreslå / foreslår / foreslo / har foreslått / foreslå! — strong, built on slå.
- Spelling trap: preterite foreslo (one o), supine foreslått (å + double-t).
- fore- is inseparable — it never breaks off.
- Frames: foreslå å
- infinitive, foreslå at
- clause; the noun is et forslag, made with komme med.
- infinitive, foreslå at
Now practice Norwegian
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Start learning Norwegian→Related Topics
- Weak Verbs: The Four ClassesA2 — A map of the four regular Norwegian past-tense classes (-et/-a, -te, -de, -dde) — how to predict a verb's class from its stem and how the supine differs from the preterite.
- 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).
- Prefixed Verbs: be-, for-, an-, unn-B2 — The inseparable, unstressed verb prefixes (mostly Low German) — be- (betale), for- (forstå), an- (anbefale), unn- (unngå), gjen-, mis-, sam- — that fuse to the front of a verb, never separate, and shift its meaning into a more abstract, formal register.
- slå (to hit / turn on)A2 — Full conjugation of the strong å-stem verb slå (slå / slår / slo / har slått), plus the high-frequency idioms slå på, slå av, slå opp and slå seg.