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Questions & Answers about Jeg lukker vinduet nå.
What is the overall structure of the sentence "Jeg lukker vinduet nå," and how does it compare with English sentence structure?
The sentence follows a Subject-Verb-Object(-Adverb) order, similar to English. In this sentence:
• Jeg means I (the subject).
• lukker is the verb in the simple present tense, used here to express an action happening right now.
• vinduet is the object, where the suffix -et marks the noun vindu ("window") in its definite form, meaning the window.
• nå is an adverb meaning now.
Even though English often uses the present continuous (e.g., "I am closing") to describe an ongoing action, Norwegian uses the simple present tense combined with a time marker like nå.
Why is the present tense form "lukker" used instead of having a distinct present continuous form as in English?
Norwegian does not have a separate present continuous tense. The simple present (as in lukker) is used to express both habitual actions and actions occurring at the moment of speaking, especially when time indicators such as nå (now) are added. This makes the expression of ongoing actions more straightforward compared to English.
What does the suffix -et in vinduet indicate?
The suffix -et indicates that the noun vindu is in its definite form. In Norwegian, for neuter nouns, the definite form is often created by attaching -et to the end of the noun. Thus, vinduet means the window.
What role does the adverb nå play in this sentence, and why is it positioned at the end?
Nå means now and acts as a time marker to emphasize that the action is happening at the current moment. In Norwegian, adverbs that indicate time or manner often appear at the end of the sentence. Although there is some flexibility with adverb placement, placing nå at the end is the most natural and common order for clarifying when something is occurring.
How is an ongoing action expressed in Norwegian in comparison to English, especially considering sentences like "Jeg lukker vinduet nå"?
In English, an ongoing action is typically expressed using the present continuous tense (e.g., "I am closing"). In contrast, Norwegian uses the simple present tense (e.g., lukker) together with contextual clues or time markers like nå to indicate that the action is currently in progress. This means that the same tense can serve both habitual and progressive functions, with the additional time adverbs helping to disambiguate the meaning.