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Servitøren åpner døren forsiktig.

Servitøren åpner døren forsiktig.
The waiter opens the door carefully.
FromLesson 11inHardcore Norwegian

Breakdown of Servitøren åpner døren forsiktig.

døren
the door
åpne
to open
forsiktig
carefully
servitøren
the waiter

Questions & Answers about Servitøren åpner døren forsiktig.

What does servitøren mean and why does it end with -en?
servitøren is the definite singular form of servitør (waiter/waitress). In Bokmål you make a common‐gender noun definite by adding -en (en servitør → servitøren, “the waiter”).
Why is the verb åpner here, and not åpne?
åpne is the infinitive (“to open”). To form the present tense in Norwegian, you add -r to the infinitive: åpne → åpner (“opens” / “is opening”).
What does døren mean, and why isn’t it en dør?
døren is the definite singular of dør (door). en dør means “a door,” while døren means “the door” (referring to a specific door already known in context).
How do you know the gender of dør, and why is its definite form døren?
dør is a common‐gender noun in Bokmål. Common‐gender nouns normally take en as the indefinite article (en dør) and -en as the definite suffix (døren). Some dialects or Nynorsk use -a (døra), but standard Bokmål uses døren.
What part of speech is forsiktig, and why is it at the end of the sentence?
forsiktig is an adverb meaning “carefully” or “gently.” In Norwegian main clauses, adverbs of manner typically follow the verb and object (SVO + Adv).
Can forsiktig also be used as an adjective, and how would that look?
Yes. As an adjective it describes a noun and agrees in form: en forsiktig servitør (“a careful waiter”) or in the definite: den forsiktige servitøren (“the careful waiter”).
Could you place forsiktig before the verb, and what happens then?
Normally you’d say Servitøren åpner døren forsiktig. If you front the adverb for emphasis you get Forsiktig åpner servitøren døren. Notice you still keep verb‐second (V2): the verb stays second even though forsiktig is first.
Why is the word order S-V-O-Adv here, and is that always the case?
A typical Norwegian main clause uses Subject-Verb-Object, and adverbs of manner follow at the end (SVO + Adv). This pattern holds in most statements. It only changes if you start the sentence with another element (time, place, etc.), in which case you still keep the verb in second position (V2).
If you begin with a time phrase like I dag, does the verb still go second?
Yes. For example: I dag åpner servitøren døren forsiktig. I dag (time) is first, åpner (verb) remains second, then subject, object, adverb.
How would you change the sentence to past tense?
Replace the present form with the past form åpnet: Servitøren åpnet døren forsiktig. Here åpnet is the preterite of åpne (“opened”).
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