Breakdown of Vi møtes framfor teateret klokken syv på lørdag.
vi
we
klokken
the clock
møtes
to meet
framfor
in front of
Questions & Answers about Vi møtes framfor teateret klokken syv på lørdag.
What does møtes mean here, and why can’t we just say møte?
møtes is the reciprocal (or “-s”) form of møte. While møte means “to meet” (I meet someone), møtes means “to meet each other” (we meet each other). The -s ending marks that the action is mutual—so Vi møtes literally means “we meet each other,” which in English we simply translate as “we’ll meet.”
Why is the present tense used for a future meeting? Wouldn’t we need “will meet” or skal møtes?
In Norwegian the simple present often covers future plans when you specify a time. So Vi møtes klokken syv naturally means “We’re meeting at seven” or “We’ll meet at seven.” If you want to emphasize that it’s a plan rather than just a statement, you could say Vi skal møtes klokken syv, but it’s not necessary—Norwegians frequently use present tense for scheduled events.
What’s the difference between framfor and foran? I’ve seen both used.
Both can mean “in front of” physically.
- foran is the most common preposition in Bokmål for “in front of.”
- framfor is less common in Bokmål (more typical in Nynorsk, or as a conjunction meaning “rather than”).
When you’re locating something, you will very often hear foran:
Vi står foran teateret.
Using framfor teateret is not wrong, but it may sound slightly dialectal or poetic in Bokmål.
Why is teateret written that way? I would expect just teater.