Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Strømmen kommer snart tilbake.

Strømmen comes from the base noun strøm (meaning “electricity,” “power,” or “stream”) plus the definite article –en (“the”). In Norwegian you attach the article to the end of the noun instead of putting the in front as in English. So strøm → strømmen = “the power.”

Why is kommer in the present tense when we’re talking about the future?

In Norwegian, the present tense is often used for near-future events if you include a time adverb like snart (“soon”). So Strømmen kommer snart tilbake literally uses present tense to communicate “The power is coming back soon.” If you wanted a clearer “will”-future you could say Strømmen vil komme tilbake (“The power will come back”).

What does snart mean and why is it placed before tilbake?

Snart is an adverb meaning “soon.” Norwegian adverbs of time typically come right after the finite verb for emphasis, but you could also move them:

Strømmen kommer snart tilbake.
Strømmen kommer tilbake snart.
Both are correct; the first is slightly more common in spoken Norwegian.

What does tilbake mean, and why not just say Strømmen kommer snart?