Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Norwegian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Han kommer sen.
What does the sentence Han kommer sen mean?
It means "He is coming late." In this sentence, Han translates to he, kommer is the present tense of to come, and sen means late.
Why is the time adverb sen placed at the end of the sentence?
In Norwegian, time adverbs are typically placed at the end of a sentence. Unlike English, where you might say "He is coming late" or "Late, he is coming," Norwegian syntax often reserves the final position for adverbial modifiers like sen.
Is kommer referring to a present action or a near-future event?
While kommer is the present tense form of to come, in Norwegian it is common to use the present tense to refer to events that are scheduled or imminent. In this context, it suggests that his arrival is about to happen, albeit later than expected.
Why doesn’t the word sen change form (like adding a -t) to agree with the verb?
In Norwegian, adjectives or adverbs used in this way do not receive additional inflection. The word sen is used in its base form regardless of its position or function (in this case, as an adverb indicating time).
Is Han kommer sen an informal way to express tardiness? Are there alternative variations?
Yes, this sentence is quite straightforward and informal. Depending on the context, someone might say Han kommer for sent to emphasize that he is too late. The version without for is common in everyday conversation for simply stating that he is coming late.
How does the word order in this sentence compare to typical English sentence structure?
While English also often places adverbs after the verb (as in "He is coming late"), Norwegian strictly follows the subject-verb-adverb pattern here. The structure Han (subject) kommer (verb) sen (adverb) reflects the standard Norwegian word order for simple sentences, which often places time-related adverbs at the end.