Breakdown of De valgte heller å teipe igjen flytteesken enn å åpne den.
den
it
de
they
åpne
to open
velge
to choose
Questions & Answers about De valgte heller å teipe igjen flytteesken enn å åpne den.
What does heller ... enn mean in this sentence?
Heller ... enn means rather ... than.
So:
- De valgte heller å teipe igjen flytteesken enn å åpne den
- = They chose rather to tape the moving box shut than to open it
- more natural English: They chose to tape the moving box shut rather than open it
This pattern is very common in Norwegian:
- Jeg vil heller lese enn å se på TV = I’d rather read than watch TV
- Hun gikk heller enn å kjøre = She walked rather than drove
In everyday Norwegian, heller often comes before the first option, and enn introduces the second.
Why is it valgte and not velger or har valgt?
Valgte is the preterite/past tense of velge (to choose).
- velge = to choose
- velger = choose / am choosing / chooses
- valgte = chose
- har valgt = have/has chosen
So De valgte ... means They chose ...
The sentence is simply telling us about a completed action in the past.
Why is there å before teipe and ?