Breakdown of Etter at jeg har ryddet, rister jeg teppet ute i hagen.
jeg
I
ha
to have
i
in
ute
outside
hagen
the garden
teppet
the carpet
etter at
after
rydde
to tidy
riste
to shake
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Questions & Answers about Etter at jeg har ryddet, rister jeg teppet ute i hagen.
Why is the verb in the subordinate clause har ryddet in the present perfect tense instead of simple past (ryddet) or present (rydder)?
Norwegian often uses the present perfect (har ryddet) to emphasize that one action has been completed before another. Here you’re saying “after I have tidied up, I shake the rug.”
- Simple past (Etter at jeg ryddet…) is also grammatically possible but more common in narrative past (“Etter at jeg ryddet, ristet jeg teppet”).
- Present tense (Etter at jeg rydder…) would suggest a repeated or simultaneous action, not a finished one.
What does Etter at mean, and can I omit at?
Etter at literally means “after that” and introduces a full subordinate clause.
- In standard written Norwegian you keep at.
- In colloquial speech you might hear “Etter jeg har ryddet …” dropping at, but this is informal.
Why is there a comma after ryddet?
You have a subordinate clause at the beginning (“Etter at jeg har ryddet”). Norwegian normally places a comma between a leading subordinate clause and the main clause. It helps clarify the boundary between the two parts.
Why does the main clause rister jeg teppet ute i hagen keep the normal subject–verb–object order even though it follows a subordinate clause?
In Norwegian main clauses you always have the finite verb in second position (V2). But “Etter at jeg har ryddet” is a subordinate clause, so it doesn’t count toward the main clause’s word‐order rule. The main clause starts fresh with jeg (subject) first, then rister (verb), then the object teppet.
Could I use Når jeg har ryddet… instead of Etter at jeg har ryddet…?
Yes. Når jeg har ryddet, rister jeg teppet ute i hagen is perfectly natural.
- Når can mean “when/after” in this context and is commonly used.
- Etter at is a bit more specific (“after that”), while når is more versatile and often more colloquial.
What is teppet? Why does it end with -et?
Teppe means “rug” or “carpet.”
- Adding -et makes it the definite form: teppet = “the rug.”
- Norwegian marks definiteness with a suffix on the noun in most cases (for neuter nouns like teppe, it’s -et).
What does rister mean here, and what’s its infinitive?
Rister is the present‐tense form of riste, meaning “to shake.”
- Here it means “I shake (out).”
- Infinitive: å riste.
What does ute i hagen mean? Could I just say i hagen?
Ute = “outside,” i hagen = “in the garden.”
- ute i hagen emphasizes that you’re outside (not, for example, shaking the rug indoors).
- Simply i hagen (“in the garden”) is also correct, but you lose the extra nuance of “outdoors.”
Could the sentence be in the past tense? How would that look?
Yes. To put both actions in past you match the tenses:
- Subordinate clause with simple past: Etter at jeg ryddet
- Main clause with past of riste: ristet jeg teppet ute i hagen
Full sentence: Etter at jeg ryddet, ristet jeg teppet ute i hagen.