Jeg våkner klokken syv.

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Breakdown of Jeg våkner klokken syv.

• klokken: the clock
• våkne: to wake up
• syv: seven

Questions & Answers about Jeg våkner klokken syv.

What tense is våkner and how is it formed?

våkner is the present tense of våkne (“to wake up”). In Norwegian Bokmål, most verbs form the present by adding -r to the infinitive:
• våkne → våkner
• snakke → snakker
• lese → leser

Why don’t we use a preposition like på before klokken syv?

When telling time with klokken (“the clock”), Norwegian drops the preposition. You simply say klokken syv for “seven o’clock,” not på klokken syv.

Why is klokken in the definite form?

Talking about the time on “the clock” always uses the definite form klokken (klokke + -en). So the fixed phrase is klokken [tidspunkt], e.g. klokken tre, klokken tolv.

Can I say klokka syv instead of klokken syv?

Yes. klokka is the more informal or spoken form of klokken. Both mean “o’clock”:
• klokken syv (standard/written)
• klokka syv (colloquial/spoken)

Why does the time expression come after the verb rather than directly after the subject?