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rekke (to reach/manage in time)

rekke is one of the most useful verbs in Norwegian and has no single clean English equivalent. Its central meaning is "to have time to / manage to do something before a deadline" — Jeg rakk bussen ("I made the bus / I caught it in time"). It also means "to reach" (extend far enough), and "to hand / pass" something to someone. It is a strong verb of the i–a–u family (rekke / rakk / rukket), though in the "hand something over" sense you will also meet weak forms. Mastering rekke å — "to have time to" — unlocks a very Norwegian way of talking about time.

Conjugation

Class: strong, ablaut i–a–u. Auxiliary: ha.

Tense / moodNorwegianEnglish
Infinitivå rekketo reach / manage in time
Presensrekkerreach(es), manage(s) in time
Preteritumrakkreached, made it
Perfektumhar rukkethave/has managed
Pluskvamperfektumhadde rukkethad managed
Futurumskal/vil rekkewill manage / make it
Imperativrekk!reach! / raise!
Presens partisipprekkendereaching (adjective)
Passiv (infinitiv)å rekkesto be reached / handed
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As with trekke and stikke, the double k carries through: preterite rakk and supine rukket both keep kk, and only the vowel changes — a then u. If you have learned trekke/trakk/trukket, just drop the initial consonant cluster: rekke/rakk/rukket.

The "have time to" sense — rekke å

This is the high-value use of rekke and the one English speakers most need. rekke å + infinitive means "to have (enough) time to do something," and rekke + a noun means "to make it to / catch (something) in time."

The underlying logic: rekke frames an action against a deadline. You don't just do the thing — you get it done in time. English usually splits this into "have time to," "manage to," or "make it," but Norwegian packs it all into one verb.

Jeg rakk ikke bussen, så jeg måtte gå.

I didn't catch the bus, so I had to walk.

Rekker du å handle før butikken stenger?

Do you have time to shop before the store closes?

Vi rakk akkurat toget — det gikk to minutter senere.

We just made the train — it left two minutes later.

Jeg har ikke rukket å svare på e-posten ennå.

I haven't had time to answer the email yet.

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Negate it and rekke ikke becomes the everyday way to say "I didn't get around to it / I ran out of time": Jeg rakk ikke å ringe deg = "I didn't manage to call you." This is far more natural than translating "I didn't have time" word for word as jeg hadde ikke tid — both are correct, but rekke is what natives reach for.

To reach, and to raise your hand

In its physical sense, rekke means "to reach" — to be long enough or to extend far enough.

Stigen rekker ikke helt opp til taket.

The ladder doesn't quite reach up to the roof.

The idiom rekke opp hånda means "to raise / put up one's hand" (in class, in a meeting):

Rekk opp hånda hvis du vet svaret.

Raise your hand if you know the answer.

Halve klassen rakk opp hånda med en gang.

Half the class put up their hands right away.

The "hand / pass" sense and its weak forms

When rekke means "to hand / pass something to someone," modern Norwegian commonly uses weak forms: preterite rakte, supine rakt (alongside the strong rakk / rukket, which are also accepted). So Hun rakte meg saltet ("She passed me the salt") is the usual choice here.

Kan du rekke meg saltet?

Can you pass me the salt?

Hun rakte meg en kopp kaffe uten et ord.

She handed me a cup of coffee without a word.

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So there is a split worth remembering: in the "manage / catch in time" and "reach far enough" senses, use the strong forms rakk / rukket. In the "hand something over" sense, the weak rakte / rakt are the everyday choice. Both are correct — but matching the form to the sense is what sounds native.

Common Mistakes

❌ Jeg rekket ikke bussen i morges.

Incorrect — in the 'catch in time' sense rekke is strong; the preterite is rakk

✅ Jeg rakk ikke bussen i morges.

I didn't catch the bus this morning.

❌ Jeg har ikke rakk å lese boka.

Incorrect — rakk is the preterite; after har use the supine rukket

✅ Jeg har ikke rukket å lese boka.

I haven't had time to read the book.

❌ Rekker du gjøre det i dag?

Incorrect — rekke needs the infinitive marker å before the verb

✅ Rekker du å gjøre det i dag?

Do you have time to do it today?

❌ Løft opp hånda hvis du vil si noe.

Incorrect — the fixed idiom is 'rekke opp hånda', not 'løfte opp hånda'

✅ Rekk opp hånda hvis du vil si noe.

Raise your hand if you want to say something.

Key Takeaways

  • rekke / rekker / rakk / har rukket / rekk! — strong, i–a–u, like trekke and stikke.
  • Spelling: both past forms keep the double k — rakk vs rukket; only the vowel differs.
  • rekke å
    • infinitive = "to have time to / manage to"; rekke
      • noun = "to catch / make it to in time" (rekke bussen). This is the verb's most important, most idiomatic use.
  • rekke opp hånda = to raise one's hand.
  • In the "hand / pass over" sense, the weak forms rakte / rakt are the everyday choice.

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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).
  • stikke (to stick/poke/dart)B1 — Full conjugation of the strong verb stikke (stikke / stikker / stakk / har stukket), plus the everyday idioms stikke av, stikke innom and det stikker.