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Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Zombien går sakte. - The zombie walks slowly.

Hardcore Norwegian
/Helping a friend move flats
/Zombien går sakte.

Zombien går sakte.

Zombien går sakte.

The zombie walks slowly.

Breakdown of Zombien går sakte.

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Questions & Answers about Zombien går sakte.

Why is it zombien and not just zombie?

Because -en is the definite ending for many masculine/common-gender nouns in Norwegian.

en zombie = a zombie
zombien = the zombie

Unlike English, Norwegian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

So in this sentence, zombien means the zombie.

What gender is zombie in Norwegian?

Zombie is normally treated as a common-gender noun, so you get:

en zombie = a zombie
zombien = the zombie

In Bokmål, common gender often covers what used to be masculine and feminine in many contexts, so learners will often just think of en + noun and -en for the definite form.

What is the dictionary form of går?

The dictionary form is å gå, which usually means to go or to walk depending on context.

å gå = infinitive
går = present tense

So:

jeg går = I go / I am walking
zombien går = the zombie goes / is walking

Norwegian verbs are nice here because they do not change for person:

jeg går
du går
han går
vi går

The verb form stays the same.

Why doesn’t Norwegian use a separate word for is walking here?

Because Norwegian often uses the simple present where English might use either:

walks
is walking

So Zombien går sakte can match English ideas like:

The zombie walks slowly
The zombie is walking slowly

The exact English translation depends on context, but Norwegian does not need a separate is + -ing form here.

Why is sakte after the verb?

Because sakte is an adverb, and in a simple main clause like this, it commonly comes after the verb.

Structure here:

Zombien = subject
går = verb
sakte = adverb

So the sentence follows a very common pattern:

Subject + verb + adverb

Also, Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule, which means the finite verb usually comes in the second position. In this sentence, the subject comes first, so the verb follows right after it.

What kind of word is sakte?

Sakte is an adverb here, meaning slowly.

It describes how the zombie walks.

Compare:

en sakte zombie = a slow zombie (adjective use, less common phrasing)
Zombien går sakte = The zombie walks slowly (adverb use)

So in this sentence, sakte modifies the verb går.

Could I also say langsomt instead of sakte?

Yes, often you can.

Zombien går sakte
Zombien går langsomt

Both can mean The zombie walks slowly.

A small learner-friendly way to think about it:

sakte is very common and straightforward for slowly
langsomt is also correct and may sound a bit more like slowly / in a slow way

In many everyday contexts, either works.

Why is there no separate word for the before zombien?

Because Norwegian usually marks definiteness with a suffix, not a separate article.

English:

the zombie

Norwegian:

zombien

So the idea of the is already built into zombien through -en.

Would En zombie går sakte mean something different?

Yes. It changes the noun from definite to indefinite.

En zombie går sakte = A zombie walks/is walking slowly
Zombien går sakte = The zombie walks/is walking slowly

So the difference is the same basic difference as a versus the in English.

Why is Zombie not capitalized in Norwegian?

In Norwegian, common nouns are not capitalized unless they begin the sentence.

So:

Zombien går sakte. — capital Z because it is the first word in the sentence
Jeg ser zombien. — lowercase z in the middle of the sentence

This is similar to English for common nouns, but unlike German.

How is går pronounced?

A simple learner-friendly approximation is:

går ≈ gor with a long vowel, but not exactly like English goar

The tricky part is å, which is a Norwegian vowel not identical to standard English vowels. Also, the r may sound different depending on the speaker’s dialect.

If you are just starting, the most important thing is to recognize that:

går is one syllable
the vowel is the å sound
the word is pronounced quite differently from how an English speaker might first guess from the spelling

Is this normal Norwegian word order?

Yes, very normal.

The sentence is:

Zombien = subject
går = finite verb
sakte = adverb

So it has a standard main-clause order:

Subject + verb + adverb

This is one of the most basic and natural sentence patterns in Norwegian.

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