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Breakdown of Ikke send jobbsøknaden før du har lest den to ganger!
du
you
ha
to have
lese
to read
den
it
før
before
ikke
not
sende
to send
jobbsøknaden
the job application
to ganger
twice
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Questions & Answers about Ikke send jobbsøknaden før du har lest den to ganger!
Why is ikke placed at the very beginning of the sentence instead of after the verb?
In Norwegian negative imperatives, the negation particle ikke frequently comes before the main verb. So you say Ikke send (Don’t send). You could also say Send ikke, but fronting ikke is more common for clear, strong commands.
What does jobbsøknaden mean, and why does it end with -en?
Jobbsøknaden is the job application. Norwegian marks definiteness by adding a suffix to the noun. Here, jobbsøknad (job application) becomes jobbsøknaden (the job application) with -en.
What role does før play in this sentence?
Før means before and introduces a time clause. It tells us that the action in the main clause (sending the application) must wait until the action in the subordinate clause (reading it twice) is completed.
Why isn’t there an at after før, like “before that you have read it”?
Norwegian does not use at after før for time clauses. You simply say før du har lest …. The conjunction at is reserved for content clauses (e.g., Jeg tror at …).
Why is har lest in the present perfect tense? Could you use simple past instead?
The present perfect har lest emphasizes that the action of reading must be completed before sending. Using simple past (leste) would sound like you’re referring to one specific past event rather than giving a preparatory instruction for a future action.
Why does the subordinate clause use the word order du har lest den rather than inversion?
In Norwegian subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions (like før), you keep the normal Subject-Verb-Object order: du (subject) + har (verb) + lest den (object). Inversion (verb-first) only happens in main clauses, not typical subordinate clauses.
What does to ganger mean, and why is the noun form unchanged?
To ganger means twice or two times. The plural of gang (occasion/time) is ganger, so to ganger literally means two occasions. There’s no additional plural ending beyond -er.
Why is den used instead of repeating jobbsøknaden?
Den is a pronoun that replaces the definite noun jobbsøknaden to avoid repetition. It refers back to the job application, so den = it.
How would you translate the entire sentence into English?
“Don’t send the job application before you have read it twice!”