Breakdown of Ring meg med en gang du kommer hjem.
du
you
komme
to come
ringe
to call
meg
me
hjem
home
med en gang
as soon as
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Questions & Answers about Ring meg med en gang du kommer hjem.
Why is it Ring and not Ringe?
Ring is the imperative of å ringe (to call). Imperatives give instructions and use the bare stem: Ring! Ring meg! The infinitive is å ringe, and the present tense is ringer.
Do I need til (as in ring til meg)?
No. Ringe noen is the most natural: Ring meg. Ringe til noen is also acceptable and common in speech, just a bit wordier. Both mean the same.
What does med en gang literally mean, and what can I use instead?
Literally “with one time,” idiomatically “right away/at once.” Alternatives:
- straks (immediately, neutral/formal)
- med det samme (right away, colloquial)
- så snart/fort (som) (as soon as), when followed by a clause: Ring meg så snart du kommer hjem.
Can I just say når du kommer hjem?
Yes: Ring meg når du kommer hjem = “Call me when you get home.” Med en gang du… emphasizes immediacy a bit more (“as soon as”).
Why isn’t there a conjunction after med en gang?
In Norwegian, med en gang can be followed directly by a clause: med en gang du kommer hjem. Don’t add at. You may see (som) after similar phrases like med det samme, but it isn’t needed here.
Why hjem and not hjemme?
Hjem is directional (movement toward home): komme hjem, dra hjem. Hjemme is a location (being at home): være hjemme. So: du kommer hjem, but du er hjemme.
Why is kommer in the present when it refers to the future?
Norwegian often uses the present tense for future time in time clauses: når/med en gang du kommer hjem. Using skal komme here is unusual; present is the default.
Can I move the parts around?
Yes. Common variants:
- Ring meg når du kommer hjem.
- Med en gang du kommer hjem, ring meg. With a declarative main clause you’d use V2: Med en gang du kommer hjem, ringer du meg.
Is the imperative too direct? How can I soften it?
To be more polite:
- Kan/Kunne du ringe meg med en gang du kommer hjem?
- Vennligst ring meg med en gang du kommer hjem.
- Ring meg …, er du snill.
What’s the difference between ring meg and ring meg opp?
Both can mean “call me.” Ringe (noen) opp often suggests dialing or calling back after a missed call. Ring meg is the neutral, most common choice.
Any pronunciation tips?
- meg: g isn’t pronounced; sounds like “may/my” depending on dialect.
- hjem: h is silent; say “yem.”
- kommer: short o; double mm gives a longer m (KOM-mer).
- du: long, rounded u (not like English “oo”).
Should I use a period or an exclamation mark?
Either. A period is neutral; an exclamation mark adds urgency: Ring meg med en gang du kommer hjem!
Is du informal? What about a formal you?
Du is the normal “you” in modern Norwegian, even with strangers. The very formal De exists but is rare outside specific contexts (official letters, very polite service).
How do I say “Call me as soon as you get back home”?
Use hjem igjen for “back home”: Ring meg med en gang du kommer hjem igjen. Don’t use tilbake with hjem here.
How do I make it negative?
Put ikke after the imperative: Ikke ring meg med en gang du kommer hjem.
What if I’m speaking to more than one person?
The imperative ring doesn’t change. You can add dere to be explicit: Ring meg med en gang dere kommer hjem.
Does ringe på mean the same thing?
No. Ringe på means “ring the doorbell.” For phone calls use ringe (noen) or ringe til (noen).