Questions & Answers about Regnet tvang oss til å vente.
Why is it regnet and not just regn?
In this sentence, regnet is the definite form of regn (rain), so literally it is the rain.
Norwegian often uses the definite form in cases where English might just say rain in a more general way. So Regnet tvang oss til å vente is structurally The rain forced us to wait.
- regn = rain
- regnet = the rain
Here, regnet is the subject of the sentence.
What does tvang mean, and what is its infinitive form?
Tvang is the past tense of tvinge, which means to force.
So:
- å tvinge = to force
- tvang = forced
This verb is irregular, so the past tense does not look like a simple ending added to the infinitive.
A few useful forms are:
- å tvinge = to force
- tvinger = forces / is forcing
- tvang = forced
- har tvunget = has/have forced
Why is it oss and not vi?