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Questions & Answers about Jeg var i Oslo i fjor.
What does var mean in this sentence, and why isn’t er used?
Var is the past tense of the verb å være (“to be”). It corresponds to English “was.” We use var here because the action happened last year. Er is present tense (“am/is/are”) and can’t express a past event.
Why is i used before Oslo?
In Norwegian, the preposition i is used with many place names—cities, towns, regions, and countries—to mean “in.” So i Oslo literally means “in Oslo.” (By contrast you say på with certain islands or stations, e.g. på Island, på togstasjonen.)
Why is there no article before Oslo?
City names in Norwegian are proper nouns and do not take an article. You wouldn’t say the Oslo in English, and similarly you never say den Oslo or Osloen in Norwegian in this context.
What does i fjor mean, and why not just fjor?
I fjor means “last year” (literally “in last year”). You need i with fjor to form the time expression. By itself fjor isn’t used as a standalone adverb of time.
Why don’t we say i fjoråret instead of i fjor?
Fjoråret means “the last year,” but native speakers almost always shorten this to i fjor. Saying i fjoråret is grammatically understandable but sounds overly formal or awkward in everyday speech.
Could I say Jeg i fjor var i Oslo instead?
Norwegian follows the V2 rule (verb-second): the finite verb must be in the second position. In Jeg var i Oslo i fjor, var is second. If you want to front the time expression, you can say I fjor var jeg i Oslo (time-element + verb + subject…). But Jeg i fjor var i Oslo would put the verb third, which breaks the V2 rule.
Can you drop jeg in this sentence and just say Var i Oslo i fjor?
No. Norwegian is not a pro-drop language, so main clauses usually require an explicit subject. You need Jeg var i Oslo i fjor. Dropping jeg may occur in headlines or notes, but it’s not correct in full sentences.