Vi spiser suppe etter at vi har kjøpt grønnsaker.

We eat soup after we have bought vegetables.

Breakdown of Vi spiser suppe etter at vi har kjøpt grønnsaker.

• ha: to have
• spise: to eat
• vi: we
• kjøpe: to buy
• grønnsaken: the vegetable
• suppen: the soup
• etter at: after

Questions & Answers about Vi spiser suppe etter at vi har kjøpt grønnsaker.

What is the function of etter at in this sentence?

Etter at is a subordinating conjunction meaning “after” when you connect two clauses. It introduces the action that must be completed first (buying vegetables) before the main action happens (eating soup). You cannot drop at here, because etter by itself is only a preposition (e.g. etter middag = “after lunch”), not a clause‐linker.

Why is the verb in the subordinate clause in present perfect (har kjøpt) rather than simple past (kjøpte)?

Norwegian often uses the perfect tense to show that one action is completed before another. Har kjøpt (“have bought”) tells us that the buying is already done at the moment of eating. If you used simple past (kjøpte), it would still be correct, but it sounds more like a straight narrative of past events:

• Vi spiser suppe etter at vi kjøpte grønnsaker.

Could I use simple past (kjøpte) instead of perfect (har kjøpt)? When would I choose each?

Yes. Choice depends on nuance:

• Har kjøpt – emphasizes completion up to now, linking the two actions closely.
• Kjøpte – states the sequence more neutrally or in a storytelling context.

Why is the word order in the subordinate clause vi har kjøpt grønnsaker instead of har vi kjøpt grønnsaker?

In subordinate clauses introduced by a conjunction like etter at, Norwegian does not invert subject and verb. You use standard SVD (Subject–Verb–…): subject (vi), auxiliary verb (har), past participle (kjøpt), then object (grønnsaker). Inversion (V2) only applies in main clauses.

Do I need a comma before etter at? Or after the subordinate clause?

• If the subordinate clause comes first, you must add a comma:
  “Etter at vi har kjøpt grønnsaker, spiser vi suppe.”
• If it comes after the main clause, the comma is optional and usually omitted:
  “Vi spiser suppe etter at vi har kjøpt grønnsaker.”

Can I use an infinitive construction like Etter å ha kjøpt grønnsaker instead of etter at vi har kjøpt grønnsaker?

Yes. You can say:
“Etter å ha kjøpt grønnsaker spiser vi suppe.”
Here you use the infinitive phrase å ha kjøpt and drop the subject in the subordinate clause. It’s a more concise, slightly formal alternative.

Can I replace etter at with når here? What difference would that make?

• With når: “Vi spiser suppe når vi har kjøpt grønnsaker.”
  This suggests a habitual or repeated action: whenever we have bought vegetables, we eat soup.
• Etter at focuses on the strict sequence (“only once buying is done do we eat soup”), not just simultaneity or habit.

Why is grønnsaker plural here? Could I say grønnsak?

Grønnsaker means “vegetables” in general (plural). If you’re buying more than one vegetable—or the idea of vegetables collectively—you use the plural. To refer to a single item you’d say en grønnsak (“a vegetable”) and adjust the rest accordingly.