Tom skal se filmen nå.

Tom

Breakdown of Tom skal se filmen nå.

• film: the film
• nå: now
• skulle: shall
• se: to watch

Questions & Answers about Tom skal se filmen nå.

Why do we use skal instead of vil in this sentence?

In Norwegian, skal often conveys the idea of a planned or certain future action. Vil can also mean "will," but it can sound more like an intention or a wish. So using skal here emphasizes that Tom is definitely going to watch the movie.

Why is the noun filmen in the definite form?

Norwegian uses the definite form (filmen) when talking about a specific movie that both the speaker and the listener know about. If the context is general, you might use en film (an indefinite form), but here it's implied they know exactly which movie Tom will watch.

What does nå mean, and where does it go in the sentence?

Nå means "now" and it can appear at the end (like in Tom skal se filmen nå) or sometimes earlier in a sentence. Its placement can slightly affect emphasis, but placing it at the end is very common in spoken and written Norwegian.

Do we always need skal to express the future in Norwegian?

Not always. Skal is very common for future events, but you can also use kommer til å to indicate a future action. For example: Tom kommer til å se filmen nå. However, skal tends to suggest a more immediate or certain plan.

Is the structure Tom skal se filmen nå similar in word order to English?

Yes, largely so. Norwegian follows a Subject – Auxiliary – Main Verb – Object sequence here: Tom (subject) skal (auxiliary/modal verb) se (main verb) filmen (object). The word nå (adverb) is added at the end, which is a common placement for adverbs in Norwegian.