Jeg ringer sjefen direkte.

I call the boss directly.

Breakdown of Jeg ringer sjefen direkte.

• jeg: I
• ringe: to call
• sjefen: the boss
• direkte: directly

Questions & Answers about Jeg ringer sjefen direkte.

What does the verb ringer mean, and how is it related to ringe?

Ringer is the present‐tense, first‐person singular form of the verb ringe, which means “to call” (as in making a phone call). In Norwegian, you conjugate ringe in the present by adding -r:
– jeg ringer (I call / I am calling)
– du ringer (you call)
– han/hun ringer (he/she calls)

Why is sjefen definite, and why isn’t there an English article?

In Norwegian you typically mark definiteness by adding a suffix to the noun. Sjef means “boss,” and sjefen means “the boss.” You don’t need an extra word for “the.” In English you’d say “I’m calling the boss,” but in Norwegian the -en ending on sjef already conveys “the.”

Why is there no indefinite article (“a boss”) in this sentence?

Because sjefen is in the definite form (“the boss”). If you meant “a boss,” you would say en sjef. For example:
– Jeg ringer en sjef. (I’m calling a boss.)

What part of speech is direkte here, and where can it go in the sentence?

Here direkte is an adverb meaning “directly.” Adverbs of manner usually follow the object in Norwegian. The default word order is Subject‐Verb‐Object‐Adverb, so direkte comes last:
– Jeg ringer sjefen direkte.
You could also insert it earlier for emphasis, but it sounds less neutral:
– Jeg ringer direkte sjefen. (less common)

Can I swap sjefen and direkte, as in “Jeg ringer direkte sjefen”?

It’s grammatically possible, but it’s not the most idiomatic word order. Placing the adverb after the object (Jeg ringer sjefen direkte) is more natural in everyday speech.

What’s the typical word order in a simple Norwegian main clause?

Norwegian main clauses usually follow:

1. Subject (S)
2. Verb (V)
3. Object (O)
4. Adverbs or adverbial phrases (A)
   So in your sentence:
   S: jeg
   V: ringer
   O: sjefen
   A: direkte

How do you pronounce jeg ringer sjefen direkte?

A rough phonetic guide (Bokmål) is:
– jeg [yai] (like English “yai”)
– ringer [RIN-ger] (roll the r, stress on first syllable)
– sjefen [SHEH‐fen] (sj = [sh], e as in “bed”)
– direkte [dee‐REK‐tuh] (stress on second syllable)

Could I use a more formal verb than ringe to say “to call”?

Yes. The more formal equivalent is telefonere. In present tense:
– Jeg telefonerer sjefen direkte.
But in everyday conversation, ringe is much more common.