Trafikklyset blinker gult før det blir rødt.

The traffic light flashes yellow before it turns red.

Breakdown of Trafikklyset blinker gult før det blir rødt.

• det: it
• før: before
• bli: to become
• rød: red
• blinke: to blink
• gul: yellow
• trafikklyset: the traffic light

Questions & Answers about Trafikklyset blinker gult før det blir rødt.

What is trafikklyset made of, and why is it in the definite form?

• trafikk = “traffic”
• lys = “light”
  Together they form the compound trafikklys (“traffic light”).
  To make it definite singular, Norwegian adds the suffix -et:
  • indefinite: et trafikklys (“a traffic light”)
  • definite: trafikklyset (“the traffic light”)

How is the verb blinker conjugated in Norwegian, and why is present tense used here?

The infinitive is å blinke (“to flash/blink”). Its main forms are:

• Present: blinker (jeg blinker, du blinker, han/hun blinker…)
• Past: blinket
• Perfect participle: har blinket
  Here, blinker is in the present tense to describe a general or habitual action: “the traffic light flashes yellow.”

Why does the sentence use gult instead of gul when describing the flashing color?

In Norwegian, many adjectives take -t when used adverbially (or with neuter nouns). Here gult functions as an adverb describing how the light blinks (“in a yellow way”). Color adjectives used this way always have the -t ending:
• blinker gult = “blinks yellow(ly)”
If you were attributively describing a neuter noun you’d also say et gult lys (“a yellow light”).

Why is it rødt (with -t) after det blir, and could you get the form wrong?

After the linking verb bli (“become”), the adjective must agree with the subject. Here the subject is det (“it”), which is neuter singular. The neuter form of rød is rødt. Norwegian adjective forms for rød are:

• Masculine/feminine indefinite: rød
• Neuter indefinite: rødt
• Plural/definite: røde

Do I need a comma before før det blir rødt, and can I change the word order?

• When the før-clause comes after the main clause, no comma is needed:
  Trafikklyset blinker gult før det blir rødt.
• If you move the før-clause to the front, you add a comma and invert the main clause’s word order:
  Før det blir rødt, blinker trafikklyset gult.

Why is there a pronoun det in the subordinate clause? Could I repeat lyset instead?

Norwegian subordinate clauses must have a subject. You could indeed repeat the noun:
trafikklyset blinker gult før lyset blir rødt
—but that feels repetitive. Instead, we use the neuter pronoun det (“it”) to refer back to trafikklyset without repeating the full noun.

Can I use other verbs like skifte or endre instead of bli here?

Yes. Common alternatives are:

• skifte (“change”):
  Trafikklyset blinker gult før det skifter til rødt.
  (You normally add til before the new color.)
• endre seg (“alter”):
  Trafikklyset blinker gult før det endrer seg til rødt.
  However, bli is the simplest and most idiomatic for “become.”