Vi møtes ved neste anledning.

We will meet at the next opportunity.

Breakdown of Vi møtes ved neste anledning.

• vi: we
• ved: at
• neste: next
• møtes: to meet
• anledningen: the opportunity

Questions & Answers about Vi møtes ved neste anledning.

What does the -s in møtes do?

It marks the verb as a so‑called s-verb, which here has a reciprocal/middle meaning: møtes = meet each other. So Vi møtes literally means “We meet each other.” It is not a passive.

• Compare:
  • Vi møter hverandre. = We meet each other. (regular verb + explicit “each other”)
  • Vi møtes. = We meet each other. (s-verb; no “hverandre” needed)
• Don’t say Vi møtes hverandre (that doubles the reciprocity and is incorrect).

Why is the present tense used for a future idea?

Norwegian often uses the present for near-future or planned events. Vi møtes ved neste anledning naturally means “We’ll meet when there’s a next opportunity.” You could also say:

• Vi skal møtes ved neste anledning (more explicitly planned)
• Vi kommer til å møtes ved neste anledning (prediction)

What does ved mean here, and is it the right preposition?

Here ved means “at/on,” in the idiomatic sense of “on the next occasion.” The collocation ved (en/neste) anledning is standard and somewhat formal.

• ved en anledning = on one occasion
• Alternatives:
  • til neste anledning = for the next occasion (preparatory, not the same as “on”)
  • på neste anledning is generally not idiomatic.

Is neste anledning natural, or is there a more everyday way to say this?

Neste anledning is a bit formal. In everyday speech you’ll often hear:

• Vi møtes neste gang.
• Vi møtes en annen gang.
• Vi møtes når vi får sjansen.

How does møtes differ from møte?

• møte (regular verb) = to meet (someone/something). Example: Vi møter sjefen klokka tre. (We meet the boss at three.)
• møtes (s-verb) = to meet each other. Example: Vi møtes klokka tre. (We meet each other at three.)

What are the verb forms of møtes?

• Infinitive: å møtes
• Present: møtes (Vi møtes i morgen.)
• Preterite: møttes (Vi møttes i går.)
• Past participle: møttes (Vi har møttes mange ganger.) Note that the preterite and the past participle are spelled the same.

How is the sentence pronounced?

Approximate IPA and tips:

• Vi [viː] (long i)
• møtes [ˈmøːtəs] (long ø; final -es like a light “uhs”)
• ved [veː] (long e)
• neste [ˈnɛstə] (stress on first syllable)
• anledning [ɑnˈleːdnɪŋ] (main stress on le-, the d is pronounced lightly; final -ng = [ŋ])

Overall stress pattern: Vi MØ·tes ved NES·te an-LED·ning.

Can I change the word order?

Yes. For emphasis you can front the prepositional phrase:

• Ved neste anledning møtes vi. This is stylistically fine and slightly more formal; the meaning is the same.

Could I say Vi ses/Vi sees instead of Vi møtes?

• Vi ses/Vi sees = We’ll see each other; commonly used as a casual farewell (“See you”).
• Vi møtes = We (physically) meet each other. You can say Vi ses neste gang, but Vi møtes focuses on actually meeting up, which fits better with “occasion/opportunity.” Both spellings ses and sees are accepted in Bokmål.

Is there a way to make it a suggestion like “Let’s meet ...”?

Yes:

• La oss møtes ved neste anledning. (Let’s meet when we get a chance.)
• Or ask: Skal vi møtes ved neste anledning? (Shall we meet next time there’s an opportunity?)

What about the noun anledning—gender and plural?

• Indefinite singular: en anledning
• Definite singular: anledningen
• Indefinite plural: anledninger
• Definite plural: anledningene It’s a common-gender noun (en). You may also see the synonym høve (Nynorsk/bureaucratic style).

Is den neste anledningen ever used?

It can be, but it’s more specific/contrastive, like “the next occasion (as opposed to other occasions).” In general timing expressions, Norwegian prefers the bare neste: neste uke, neste gang, neste anledning. Use the definite form when you’re contrasting or specifying in context.

What’s the difference between ved neste anledning and ved første anledning?

• ved neste anledning = at the next opportunity (the next one that arises).
• ved første anledning = at the first/earliest possible opportunity (as soon as there is one). The latter suggests more urgency.

Any pitfalls to avoid?

• Don’t write motes (that means fashions); you need ø: møtes.
• Don’t combine the s-verb with hverandre: not Vi møtes hverandre.
• Avoid på neste anledning; use ved for this idiom.
• If you mean “talk soon,” use Vi snakkes, not Vi møtes, unless you actually plan to meet.