Jeg skjærer ost til kveldsmaten.

I cut cheese for supper.

Breakdown of Jeg skjærer ost til kveldsmaten.

• jeg: I
• til: for
• osten: the cheese
• kveldsmaten: the supper
• skjære: to cut

Questions & Answers about Jeg skjærer ost til kveldsmaten.

What does the preposition til express here?

In this sentence, til expresses purpose, best read as for (the purpose of). It does not mean to (direction) or until (time) here.

• Purpose: Jeg skjærer ost til kveldsmaten = cutting cheese for the evening meal.
• Direction: Jeg går til skolen = going to school.
• Time: Butikken er åpen til klokka åtte = open until eight.

Why is kveldsmaten in the definite form? Could I say kveldsmat instead?

• kveldsmaten (definite) points to a specific, known meal — typically tonight’s supper.
• kveldsmat (indefinite) is more generic, like saying for supper in general. Both are possible; choose definite when a particular evening meal is in mind, and indefinite for a general statement or habit. Examples:
• Jeg skjærer ost til kveldsmaten (for tonight’s supper).
• Jeg skjærer ofte ost til kveldsmat (habitually, for supper).

Can I say til kvelds instead of til kveldsmaten?

Yes. til kvelds is a very common, idiomatic alternative meaning for supper/for the evening meal, without a definite ending. Nuance:

• til kvelds = general meal-time adverbial, informal and frequent in everyday speech.
• til kveldsmaten = a specific supper (e.g., the one you’re about to eat).

Why is there an s in kveldsmaten?

Because kveldsmat is a compound: kveld (evening) + mat (food/meal). Many Norwegian compounds insert a linking -s- (a so‑called fuge-s). The definite form then adds -en: kveld + s + mat + en → kveldsmaten.

How do I pronounce the tricky parts?

• Jeg: typically [jæi] or [jæ] (j like English y). A common everyday pronunciation sounds close to yay with a short y.
• skjærer: [ˈʃæːrər]. skj = sh, æ is like the vowel in English cat but longer, and Norwegian r is a tap/trill in many dialects.
• ost: [ʊst], with a short, rounded vowel (like the u in put).
• til: [tɪl], short i (like i in bit).
• kveldsmaten: [ˈkvɛlsmɑːtən]. Stress on kveld and mat, long a in mat.

Is skjære the best verb with ost? What about kutte, dele, hakke, or høvle?

• skjære = cut with a blade; general and very common: skjære ost.
• skjære i skiver = slice: skjære ost i skiver.
• høvle = plane/slice with a cheese slicer: høvle ost (very idiomatic in Norway, using the cheese plane).
• kutte = cut (more technical/neutral), common but less idiomatic for cheese slices.
• dele = divide/split (less about making thin slices).
• hakke = chop (not for cheese slices). For typical cheese slices, skjære (i skiver) or høvle are best.

Does Norwegian present tense here mean I cut (habit) or I am cutting (right now)?

Both. Norwegian present tense (skjærer) covers simple present and present progressive. Context decides:

• Right now: said while holding the knife.
• Habit: as part of a routine. If you need to emphasize ongoing action, you can say Jeg holder på å skjære ost (I’m in the middle of cutting cheese).

Where would negation go? How do I say I’m not cutting cheese for supper?

Place ikke after the finite verb:

• Jeg skjærer ikke ost til kveldsmaten. With fronted elements (V2 still applies):
• Til kveldsmaten skjærer jeg ikke ost.

Can I move the til-phrase to the front?

Yes. Norwegian main clauses are V2, so the finite verb stays in second position:

• Neutral: Jeg skjærer ost til kveldsmaten.
• Fronted: Til kveldsmaten skjærer jeg ost. Both are correct; the fronted version emphasizes the meal-time context.

What are the past forms of skjære?

It’s irregular (strong):

• Infinitive: å skjære
• Present: skjærer
• Preterite: skar
• Perfect participle: har skåret Note: Forms like skjærte are nonstandard in Bokmål.

Is jeg ever capitalized like English I?

No. The pronoun jeg is only capitalized at the start of a sentence (normal capitalization), not by itself the way English I is.

Can I omit the subject and just say Skjærer ost til kveldsmaten?

Not in standard Norwegian. Subject pronouns are required in finite clauses, so you should keep Jeg (unless you’ve just mentioned the subject and are using certain elliptical, informal replies).

Why is it ost and not osten? What if I want to refer to a specific cheese?

• ost (indefinite/mass) = some cheese, unspecified amount. That’s what you have in the original sentence.
• osten (definite) = the cheese (a particular piece/block already known). Examples:
• Jeg skjærer ost til kveldsmaten (some cheese).
• Jeg skjærer osten til kveldsmaten (the specific cheese we have).

How do I express quantity with ost?

Use mass-quantity words:

• litt ost = a little cheese
• noe ost = some cheese
• mye ost = a lot of cheese
• en skive ost = a slice of cheese
• flere skiver ost = several slices of cheese Avoid noen ost for an unspecified amount (use noe instead).

Could I say til kvelden instead of til kveldsmaten?

Not for this meaning. til kvelden means toward/for the evening (time period), not specifically for the meal. For the meal, use til kvelds, til kveldsmat, or til kveldsmaten.

Is there any idiomatic or humorous meaning to skjære ost like English cut the cheese?

No. skjære ost is purely literal in Norwegian: to cut/slice cheese. The English idiom doesn’t carry over.