Jeg går til havnen.

I am going to the harbour.

Breakdown of Jeg går til havnen.

• jeg: I
• gå: to go
• til: to
• havnen: the harbour

Questions & Answers about Jeg går til havnen.

Why do we say til havnen instead of til en havn?

Because til havnen means “to the harbour” (a specific, known harbour). If you want “to a harbour” (any harbour, not a particular one), you must include the indefinite article: til en havn.

• en havn = a harbour (indefinite)
• havnen = the harbour (definite)

How is havn inflected in singular and plural, indefinite and definite?

Singular

• Indefinite: en havn (a harbour)
• Definite: havnen (the harbour)
  Plural
• Indefinite: havner (harbours)
• Definite: havnene (the harbours)

What does the preposition til express in this sentence?

Til means “to” and indicates movement toward a destination. It’s used with verbs of motion and the place you’re going to:

• går til skolen (walk to school)
• kjører til jobben (drive to work)
• flyr til Paris (fly to Paris)

How do you conjugate the verb gå in the main tenses?

gå is a strong (irregular) verb with these key forms:

• Infinitive: å gå (to go/walk)
• Present: (jeg) går (I go / I am walking)
• Past: (jeg) gikk (I went)
• Perfect: (jeg) har gått (I have gone)

Does å gå mean “to go” or “to walk”?

Primarily å gå means “to walk,” but when you’re talking about going somewhere on foot it also covers English “to go.” If you travel by another means (bus, car, bike), you use a different verb:

• jeg sykler til jobben (I bike to work)
• jeg tar bussen til sentrum (I take the bus to town)

How do you pronounce Jeg går til havnen?

A rough phonetic guide (Bokmål):

• Jeg [jæɪ] (“y-igh”)
• går [ɡoːr] (å like the “o” in “more,” r lightly tapped)
• til [tɪl] (“i” as in “sit”)
• havnen [ˈhɑv.nən] (“a” as in “father,” final “-en” a weak schwa)

Is the word order in Jeg går til havnen typical of Norwegian?

Yes. The basic Norwegian word order is Subject–Verb–Object/Complement (SVO). Here you have:

• Subject: Jeg
• Verb: går
• Prepositional complement: til havnen

Can I replace til with på in this sentence?

Not for havn specifically. Til is the standard preposition for motion toward places. På is used idiomatically with certain locations or institutions, e.g. på jobben (to work), på skolen (to school). You would not say går på havnen to mean “go to the harbour.”