Questions & Answers about Vi risikerer å tape.
What does each word in Vi risikerer å tape do grammatically?
- Vi = subject pronoun, we
- risikerer = finite verb, present tense of å risikere
- å tape = infinitive phrase, literally to lose
So the structure is:
subject + present-tense verb + infinitive phrase
A very literal breakdown is:
We risk to lose
Natural English would usually be We risk losing or We are at risk of losing.
Why is it risikerer and not risikere?
Because risikerer is the present tense form.
In Norwegian, the verb that is actually conjugated for tense in the sentence is the main finite verb. Here that verb is å risikere.
- infinitive: å risikere = to risk
- present tense: risikerer = risk / are risking
So:
- Vi risikerer ... = We risk ...
- not Vi risikere ..., because that would leave the verb unconjugated
For many verbs in Bokmål, the present tense ends in -er.
Why is there an å before tape?