Vi besøker slektningen.

We visit the relative.

Breakdown of Vi besøker slektningen.

• vi: we
• besøke: to visit
• slektningen: the relative

Questions & Answers about Vi besøker slektningen.

What does vi mean?

Vi means we. It is the subject of the sentence, so it tells you who is doing the action.

Why is the verb besøker and not å besøke?

Besøker is the finite verb form used in a normal statement: we visit / we are visiting.

Å besøke is the infinitive, meaning to visit.
Compare:

• Vi besøker slektningen. = We visit / We are visiting the relative.
• Vi vil besøke slektningen. = We want to visit the relative.

So after the subject in a main clause, you usually need the finite verb, not the infinitive.

What tense is besøker?

It is the present tense.

In Norwegian, the present tense often covers both:

• We visit the relative
• We are visiting the relative

So the exact English translation depends on context.

How is besøker formed?

The infinitive is å besøke. In Bokmål, many verbs form the present tense by adding -r:

• å besøke = to visit
• besøker = visit / is visiting

This is very common in Norwegian.