synge ("to sing") is a gift to English speakers, because it conjugates on exactly the pattern you already know from your own language: sing → sang → sung. Norwegian's synge → sang → sunget runs the same three vowels in the same order — the classic strong-verb i–a–u ablaut, shared with drikke and finne. Learn this verb and you've effectively confirmed the whole i–a–u class. The one thing to keep an eye on is the consonant: the ng stays put across every form, and the supine takes -et.
Conjugation
Class: strong, ablaut i–a–u. Auxiliary: ha.
| Tense / mood | Norwegian | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitiv | å synge | to sing |
| Presens | synger | sing(s), am/is/are singing |
| Preteritum | sang | sang |
| Perfektum | har sunget | have/has sung |
| Pluskvamperfektum | hadde sunget | had sung |
| Futurum | skal/vil synge | will sing |
| Imperativ | syng! | sing! |
| Presens partisipp | syngende | singing (adjective) |
The i–a–u ablaut and the English cognate
The three principal vowels are the headline:
- i: synge, synger
- a: sang
- u: sunget
This is the same template as drikke / drakk / drukket and finne / fant / funnet. And the English cousin is identical in feel: sing / sang / sung. English even keeps all three forms distinct (unlike find, which collapsed to found), so the mapping is one-to-one:
| Norwegian | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | synge | sing |
| Preterite | sang | sang |
| Supine / participle | sunget | sung |
Because the cognate is so transparent, you can almost predict the Norwegian forms from the English ones: "sang" is even spelled the same. Just remember the Norwegian supine adds -et (sunget), where English drops everything (sung).
Vi synger den sangen på hver bursdag.
We sing that song at every birthday.
Hun sang så vakkert at hele salen ble stille.
She sang so beautifully that the whole hall went quiet.
Har du sunget i kor før?
Have you sung in a choir before?
Uses and collocations
synge shows up in a few everyday combinations worth knowing:
- synge med — to sing along. Alle sang med på refrenget = "everyone sang along on the chorus."
- synge i kor — to sing in a choir (et kor = a choir). Choir-singing is a big part of Norwegian community life, so this collocation is common.
- synge falskt / rent — to sing out of tune / in tune. synge falskt literally "sing falsely."
- synge på siste verset — idiom, "to be on its last legs / nearly finished" (literally "singing on the last verse").
Syng med, alle sammen — dere kan jo teksten!
Sing along, everyone — you know the words!
Datteren min synger i et barnekor på torsdager.
My daughter sings in a children's choir on Thursdays.
Jeg synger ganske falskt, så jeg holder meg bakerst.
I sing pretty out of tune, so I stay at the back.
Den gamle bilen synger på siste verset.
The old car is on its last legs.
Common Mistakes
❌ Hun syngte en vakker sang.
Incorrect — synge is strong; the preterite is sang, not syngte
✅ Hun sang en vakker sang.
She sang a beautiful song.
❌ Har du sang i kor?
Incorrect — after har use the supine sunget, not the preterite sang
✅ Har du sunget i kor?
Have you sung in a choir?
❌ Syn med på refrenget!
Incorrect imperative — keep the g: it's syng!, not syn!
✅ Syng med på refrenget!
Sing along on the chorus!
❌ Vi har sungen alle julesangene.
Incorrect supine — it's sunget, not sungen
✅ Vi har sunget alle julesangene.
We've sung all the Christmas carols.
Key Takeaways
- synge / synger / sang / har sunget / syng! — strong, i–a–u, identical in feel to English sing/sang/sung.
- The ng stays in every form, including the imperative syng!; the supine is sunget (with -et).
- Don't make it weak (syngte is wrong) — it follows the same class as drikke and finne.
- Useful collocations: synge med (sing along), synge i kor (sing in a choir), synge falskt (sing out of tune).
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.
- drikke (to drink)A2 — Full conjugation of the strong verb drikke — the model i–a–u verb (drikke / drikker / drakk / har drukket) with senses, particles, and natural examples.
- 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).