Jeg sender søknaden nå.

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Breakdown of Jeg sender søknaden nå.

• nå: now
• sende: to send
• søknaden: the application

Questions & Answers about Jeg sender søknaden nå.

Why does the simple present in Norwegian (Jeg sender) cover “I am sending” as well as “I send”?

Norwegian present tense often covers both simple present and present continuous. Context words like nå (now) signal that the action is happening right now. So Jeg sender søknaden nå naturally means “I’m sending the application now.” If you want to stress the ongoing process, you can say:

• Jeg holder på å sende søknaden (nå). = I’m in the middle of sending the application.
• Jeg er i ferd med å sende søknaden. = I’m about to / in the process of sending the application.

Is it ever correct to say something like “Jeg er å sende …” to make a continuous form?

No. That pattern doesn’t exist in Norwegian. Use the plain present (Jeg sender …) or one of the progressive-like constructions: holder på å + infinitiv or er i ferd med å + infinitiv.

Why is it søknaden (definite) and not en søknad (indefinite)?

The definite form søknaden means a specific application that both speaker and listener can identify (e.g., the application we already mentioned). If you use the indefinite en søknad, you’re talking about “an application” in general, not a specific one:

• Jeg sender søknaden nå. = I’m sending the (known/specific) application now.
• Jeg sender en søknad nå. = I’m sending an application now (not specifying which).