Breakdown of Han leser i stedet for å se på TV.
han
he
å
to
lese
to read
TV-en
the TV
se på
to watch
i stedet for
instead of
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Questions & Answers about Han leser i stedet for å se på TV.
How does the expression i stedet for work grammatically here?
i stedet for is a fixed prepositional expression meaning “instead of.” It can be followed by:
- a noun/pronoun: i stedet for kaffe
- an infinitive: i stedet for å se på TV
If what follows is a full finite clause, use i stedet for at
- clause: i stedet for at han ser på TV.
Why is å used before se?
å is the infinitive marker. After i stedet for (when a verb follows), you use å + infinitive: i stedet for å se. Don’t drop å in writing.
Why is it se på TV and not just se TV or se?
- se på means “watch/look at,” which matches “watch TV.” Hence se på TV.
- se TV is also common and widely understood, but many teachers and style guides prefer se på TV.
- Bare se means “see” (perceive), not “watch.”
Can I move i stedet for å se på TV to the front of the sentence?
Yes. You get: I stedet for å se på TV leser han. Norwegian is a V2 language, so after fronting an adverbial, the finite verb (leser) must come second, with han after it.
What’s the difference between i stedet and i stedet for?
- i stedet = “instead,” used on its own as an adverb: Han ser ikke på TV. Han leser i stedet.
- i stedet for = “instead of,” followed by what is being replaced: Han leser i stedet for å se på TV.
Can I write istedenfor as one word?
In Bokmål, both i stedet for (recommended) and istedenfor (also accepted) are allowed. Nynorsk uses i staden for. Avoid hybrids like i stedetfor or istedet for.
Where would negation ikke go if I want to contrast the two activities?
A natural way is to split into two clauses: Han leser. I stedet ser han ikke på TV. More commonly, you’d flip the contrast: Han leser, i stedet for å se på TV. If you need the negative explicitly: Han ser ikke på TV; i stedet leser han.
What tense is leser, and how do you conjugate lese?
leser is present tense. The main forms are:
- infinitive: å lese
- present: leser
- preterite: leste
- past participle: har lest
Can lese also mean “to study” in Norwegian?
Yes. å lese can mean “to read” or “to study” depending on context. Han leser can be understood as “He is studying,” especially with a subject field: Han leser medisin. In your sentence, context decides.
Does lese need an object here?
No. lese can be intransitive when it’s clear from context what one is reading. You can add an object if you want: Han leser en bok i stedet for å se på TV.
Do I need a comma anywhere in this sentence?
As written, no comma is needed: Han leser i stedet for å se på TV. If you front the adverbial, you typically still omit the comma: I stedet for å se på TV leser han. A comma is optional in very long or heavy fronted phrases for readability.
Could I use heller (enn å) or framfor (å) instead of i stedet for (å)?
Often, yes:
- Han leser heller enn å se på TV.
- Han leser framfor å se på TV. (more formal/literary) Nuance: i stedet for emphasizes substitution; heller enn sounds more like a preference/comparison, but both are fine here.
What if the subject after the “instead of” part is different?
Use i stedet for at + a finite clause: Han leser i stedet for at de ser på TV. With same subject, keep i stedet for å + infinitive: Han leser i stedet for å se på TV.
Why is the preposition på used with TV?
It’s a set pattern with media: se på TV, høre på radio, være på TV. Compare that with print: lese i avisa (“in the newspaper”). Using til/for/i with TV here would be unidiomatic.
How do I spell and inflect TV?
Both TV and tv are common. The native word fjernsyn also exists. For the definite form of the device, write TV-en/tv-en (hyphen recommended after an abbreviation): Skru på TV-en. In your sentence, på TV refers to the medium, so no article.