Jeg oppdaterer telefonen når jeg har tid.

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Breakdown of Jeg oppdaterer telefonen når jeg har tid.

• ha: to have
• tiden: the time
• når: when

Questions & Answers about Jeg oppdaterer telefonen når jeg har tid.

Why is the verb oppdaterer in the present tense even though I’m talking about updating later when I have time?

In Norwegian the simple present tense covers:

• actions happening right now
• habitual actions (“I update regularly”)
• future or planned events when a time expression is present

So Jeg oppdaterer telefonen når jeg har tid. can mean “I will update the phone when I have time” without needing a separate future form.

Does Norwegian have a separate progressive tense like English “I am updating”? How do I emphasize an ongoing action?

Norwegian does not have a true progressive tense. You normally use the simple present (Jeg oppdaterer). If you want to stress that you’re in the middle of the action, use holde på med:
• Jeg holder på med å oppdatere telefonen. (literally “I’m in the process of updating the phone”)

Why isn’t there an infinitive marker å before oppdaterer?

Because oppdaterer is the finite (conjugated) form in present tense. Only the infinitive (base form) takes å, as in å oppdatere. When you choose a tense (present, past, etc.), you drop å and add the appropriate ending (here –er for present).

Why is telefonen in the definite form, and how do I indicate “my phone”?