Skynd deg, ellers mister vi bussen.

Hurry up, otherwise we will miss the bus.

Breakdown of Skynd deg, ellers mister vi bussen.

• vi: we
• bussen: the bus
• ellers: otherwise
• skynde seg: to hurry up

Questions & Answers about Skynd deg, ellers mister vi bussen.

Why is it Skynd deg and not Skynd du?

Because å skynde seg is a reflexive verb: “to hurry (oneself).” In the imperative, reflexive verbs use the object/reflexive pronoun, not the subject pronoun.

• one person: Skynd deg!
• several people: Skynd dere! (Nynorsk: Skund dykk!) Avoid forms like “Skynde deg!” (the imperative is the bare stem skynd).

How would I say it to more than one person?

Use the plural reflexive pronoun:

• Skynd dere, ellers mister vi bussen. = “Hurry up, otherwise we’ll miss the bus.” If you want the whole group as the subject in the second clause, that’s already covered by vi (“we”).

Why is it mister vi bussen after ellers, and not vi mister bussen?

Norwegian main clauses are V2 (the finite verb is the second element). When ellers (“otherwise”) starts the clause, the verb must come next:

• Ellers mister vi bussen (adverb – verb – subject). If you start with the subject instead, you use normal order:
• Vi mister bussen.

Can I add så after ellers?