Breakdown of Barnevakten kommer omtrent klokken sju, uansett trafikk.
Questions & Answers about Barnevakten kommer omtrent klokken sju, uansett trafikk.
Why is it “barnevakten” and not “barnevakt”?
Is “barnevakt” masculine or feminine? Can I say “barnevakta”?
In Bokmål, many common-gender nouns can be used as masculine or feminine.
- Masculine pattern: en barnevakt – barnevakten – barnevakter – barnevaktene
- Feminine (also allowed in Bokmål): ei barnevakt – barnevakta – barnevakter – barnevaktene
Pick one gender and stick with it consistently in your text. In Nynorsk, the feminine form (barnevakta) is standard.
Why is the present tense “kommer” used for a future event?
Norwegian often uses the simple present for scheduled or expected future events: Hun kommer i morgen, Toget går klokka åtte. Alternatives:
- skal
- infinitive: plan/arrangement or obligation (Barnevakten skal komme …) — can sound like a plan or promise.
- vil
- infinitive: volition or likelihood (Barnevakten vil komme …) — can imply “wants to” or “is likely to.”
- kommer til å
- infinitive: prediction (Barnevakten kommer til å komme …) — grammatical but clunky here; you’d usually change the second verb: kommer til å være her klokka sju.
Can I replace “omtrent” with something else like “rundt” or “ca.”?
Yes. All of these are natural with small nuances in register:
- omtrent / om lag: neutral to slightly formal.
- rundt: very common and informal.
- cirka / ca.: neutral in writing; often before numerals, but fine with time. Examples: kommer rundt/omtrent klokka sju, kommer ca. kl. 19. Note: nesten klokka sju means “almost seven,” not “around seven.”
Do I have to include the word “klokken”? Can I say “omtrent sju”?
You can omit the noun: Barnevakten kommer omtrent sju is natural. Other idiomatic options:
- rundt sju
- i sju-tiden (“around seven-ish”)
“Klokken” or “klokka”? And “sju” or “syv”?
All are correct in Bokmål; they vary by style and region.
- klokken (more formal/written) vs klokka (colloquial).
- sju (very common in speech) vs syv (more conservative/traditional). Combinations like klokka sju, klokken syv are both fine. You’ll also see the abbreviation kl. in writing: ca. kl. 19.
What about the comma before “uansett trafikk”? Is it required?
It’s optional here. Uansett trafikk is an added adverbial; a comma helps mark it as afterthought/parenthetical information:
- With comma (more clearly parenthetical): … klokken sju, uansett trafikk.
- Without comma (tighter sentence): … klokken sju uansett trafikk. If you front it, you don’t use a comma afterward: Uansett trafikk kommer barnevakten …
Is “uansett trafikk” the normal structure? Why not “uansett trafikken”?
Yes, uansett typically takes a bare, indefinite noun: uansett vær, uansett pris, uansett trafikk. Using the definite form (uansett trafikken) is generally unidiomatic. If you want a definite noun, use:
- uavhengig av
- definite: uavhengig av trafikken. Or use a clause:
- uansett hvordan trafikken er.
What part of speech is “uansett,” and how else can I use it?
It’s a sentence adverb/subordinator meaning “regardless/anyway.” Common patterns:
- uansett + bare noun: uansett vær, uansett trafikk.
- uansett + wh-clause: uansett hva du gjør, uansett hvordan det går.
- Standalone as a discourse marker: Uansett, vi drar.
Can I move the time phrase to the front? What happens to word order?
Yes. Norwegian is a V2 language: the finite verb must be in second position. If you front an adverbial, the verb comes next, then the subject:
- Omtrent klokken sju kommer barnevakten, uansett trafikk. You can also front Uansett trafikk: Uansett trafikk kommer barnevakten omtrent klokken sju.
Would “ankommer” work instead of “kommer”?
Is there ambiguity about morning vs evening? How do I clarify?
Yes, klokka/klokken sju can mean 7 AM or 7 PM. To clarify:
- Add a time-of-day phrase: klokka sju om morgenen / om kvelden.
- Use the 24‑hour clock in writing: kl. 07 / kl. 19.
- Add a day/time marker: i morgen klokka sju, i kveld klokka sju.
Is there a difference between “barnevakt,” “barnepasser,” and words like “nanny/au pair”?
- barnevakt: the standard word for a babysitter (often occasional/part-time).
- barnepasser: exists but is much less common in everyday speech.
- au pair: a live-in childcare helper under a specific arrangement.
- barnepike: old-fashioned and female-coded; avoid in modern usage.
- dagmamma: an informal daytime childminder (not the same as a one-off babysitter).
Can “uansett” stand alone at the end: “…, uansett”?
More from this lesson
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning NorwegianMaster Norwegian — from Barnevakten kommer omtrent klokken sju, uansett trafikk to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions