Hun låser døren.

She locks the door.

Breakdown of Hun låser døren.

• hun: she
• døren: the door
• låse: to lock

Questions & Answers about Hun låser døren.

What does the verb låser mean, and how does it relate to the infinitive å låse?

Låser is the present tense form of the verb låse (infinitive å låse), which means to lock. In Norwegian Bokmål you form the present by adding -r to the infinitive:
– å låse → låser

Why is there no separate word for “the” before døren?

Norwegian uses an enclitic (attached) definite article. Instead of a separate word like English the, you add -en for common-gender nouns:
– en dør (a door) → døren (the door)

What gender is dør, and how can I tell?

Dør is a common-gender noun in Bokmål (a merger of traditional masculine and feminine). Common-gender singular takes en in the indefinite form and -en in the definite:
– Indefinite: en dør
– Definite: døren

How do you pronounce låser døren?

– å is pronounced like the aw in law (long oː).
– ø is similar to the vowel in English hurt (without the r).
Together: låser ≈ “LAW-ser”, døren ≈ “DUR-en.”

Why do we use the simple present låser for “is locking”?

Norwegian does not have a separate progressive tense. The simple present covers both English “she locks” and “she is locking.”
– Hun låser døren. can mean either “She locks the door” or “She is locking the door.”

Does låser change if the subject is different (I, you, we)?

No. Norwegian verbs are unchanged for person and number in the present tense:
– Jeg låser (I lock)
– Du låser (you lock)
– Han låser, Hun låser (he/she locks)
– Vi låser (we lock)
– De låser (they lock)

How would you say “She locked the door” in Norwegian?

You use the past tense låste (remove -r, add -te):
– Hun låste døren.

What’s the opposite of låse (“to lock”)?

The opposite is å låse opp (“to unlock”). In the present tense:
– Hun låser opp døren. (She unlocks the door.)