knekke ("to crack, snap, break") is a verb with a split personality, and that split is the whole lesson. When something snaps by itself — a branch, a bone, a person's resolve — knekke is intransitive and strong, with the preterite knakk. When you crack something — a nut, a code, a problem — knekke is transitive and weak, with the preterite knekte. The supine collapses to one form, knekt, for both. Same infinitive, same present, two pasts: Greina knakk (the branch snapped) versus Jeg knekte nøtta (I cracked the nut). Get the agent question right and the conjugation follows.
Two paradigms, side by side
The verb's transitivity decides its conjugation. The contrast is the single most important thing on this page:
| Tense / mood | Intransitive (strong) — "snap" | Transitive (weak) — "crack sth" |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitiv | å knekke | å knekke |
| Presens | knekker | knekker |
| Preteritum | knakk | knekte |
| Perfektum | har knekt | har knekt |
| Pluskvamperfektum | hadde knekt | hadde knekt |
| Imperativ | knekk! | knekk! |
| Auxiliary | ha (or være for the result-state) | ha |
Class (intransitive): strong, ablaut e–a–e (the sprekke / sprakk / sprukket family, but with the shortened supine knekt). Class (transitive): weak, Class 2 (-te / -t).
The intransitive: knekke = snap (knakk)
When nothing external is named as the agent — the thing simply breaks, gives way, snaps — knekke is strong and the preterite is knakk (with the e → a ablaut and a doubled k, like sprekke → sprakk). The supine is the shortened knekt, and you may see være as the auxiliary when the focus is on the resulting broken state: Greina er knekt.
This intransitive sense covers literal snapping (branches, bones, pencils) and the vivid figurative "break" of a person or a voice: stemmen hans knakk (his voice cracked/broke), han knakk under presset (he broke under the pressure).
Greina knakk under vekten av all snøen.
The branch snapped under the weight of all the snow.
Stemmen hennes knakk da hun skulle holde minnetalen.
Her voice broke as she was about to give the eulogy.
To av ribbeina hans har knekt i fallet.
Two of his ribs have cracked in the fall.
The transitive: knekke noe = crack/break something (knekte)
When you do it to something — there is an agent and an object — knekke is weak, Class 2, preterite knekte, supine knekt. This is the verb for cracking a nut, breaking a piece of chocolate, snapping a stick in two on purpose, and, figuratively, cracking a code or a problem:
- knekke en nøtt — crack a nut
- knekke koden — crack the code (also figuratively: figure something tricky out)
- knekke en kode / et problem — solve a hard problem
- knekke noen — break someone (defeat them, wear them down)
Jeg knekte koden til slutt etter to timer.
I cracked the code at last after two hours.
Han knekte nøtta med bare hendene.
He cracked the nut with his bare hands.
Forskerne har endelig knekt problemet.
The researchers have finally cracked the problem.
knekke sammen and other particles
The particle combinations are worth learning as units:
- knekke sammen — to break down (collapse, physically or emotionally): Hun knakk sammen i gråt. Here it's intransitive → knakk sammen.
- knekke av — to snap off (a piece breaks off). Intransitive when it falls off by itself (det knakk av), transitive when you snap it off (jeg knekte av en bit).
- knekke over — to snap in two.
Because the same particle pairs with both the intransitive and the transitive verb, the agent test still rules: grenen knakk av (the branch snapped off — strong) versus jeg knekte av en bit sjokolade (I snapped off a piece of chocolate — weak).
Hun knakk sammen i gråt da hun hørte nyheten.
She broke down in tears when she heard the news.
Jeg knekte av en bit sjokolade til hver av barna.
I snapped off a piece of chocolate for each of the kids.
Pinnen knakk over på midten.
The stick snapped in two in the middle.
Common Mistakes
❌ Greina knekte under snøen.
Incorrect — no agent acts on the branch; the intransitive 'snapped' is strong: knakk
✅ Greina knakk under snøen.
The branch snapped under the snow.
❌ Jeg knakk koden til slutt.
Incorrect — 'crack the code' is transitive (you do it); use the weak knekte
✅ Jeg knekte koden til slutt.
I cracked the code at last.
❌ Han har knakk to ribbein.
Incorrect — knakk is the preterite; after har the supine is knekt for both senses
✅ Han har knekt to ribbein.
He has cracked two ribs.
❌ Hun knekte sammen i gråt.
Incorrect — 'break down' here is intransitive, so the preterite is knakk sammen
✅ Hun knakk sammen i gråt.
She broke down in tears.
Key Takeaways
- knekke has two paradigms that differ only in the preterite: strong intransitive knakk ("it snapped"), weak transitive knekte ("I cracked it").
- The supine is knekt for both senses; the imperative is knekk! for both.
- Apply the agent test: a thing breaking on its own → knakk; someone breaking/cracking a thing → knekte.
- Key idioms: knekke koden (crack the code, transitive → knekte) and knekke sammen (break down, intransitive → knakk).
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).