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Sjefen hadde ventet på et svar helt til klokken ni.

Sjefen hadde ventet på et svar helt til klokken ni.
The boss had waited for an answer until nine o’clock.
FromLesson 9inHardcore Norwegian
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Questions & Answers about Sjefen hadde ventet på et svar helt til klokken ni.

What does hadde ventet mean?
Hadde ventet is the past perfect form of å vente (to wait). It literally means had waited or had been waiting, indicating that the waiting occurred before another past moment.
Why use hadde ventet instead of har ventet?
We use hadde ventet (past perfect) because the waiting was completed before a specific past time (klokken ni). Har ventet (present perfect) would link the action to the present instead.
Why is it ventet på et svar and not just ventet et svar?
The verb vente requires the preposition på when you wait for something: vente på noe = wait for something.
What does helt til mean in this sentence?
Helt til means right up until or all the way until. It emphasizes that the waiting continued until exactly nine o’clock.
Why say klokken ni instead of just ni?
In Norwegian you normally specify time with klokken + number. So klokken ni = nine o’clock. In casual speech you might also hear klokka ni.
Why is sjefen in the definite form?
Sjefen means the boss. The suffix -en marks it as definite, so you know you’re talking about a specific boss, not just any boss.
Why is et svar indefinite?
The article et is the indefinite article (“a/an”). It shows that it’s “an answer” in general, not a particular, previously mentioned answer.
Could you start the sentence with Helt til klokken ni?

Yes. If you put Helt til klokken ni first, you invert the subject and auxiliary verb:
Helt til klokken ni hadde sjefen ventet på et svar.
The meaning remains the same.