Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Bussen kom for tidlig i dag.

You can also say den bussen when you want to point to a very specific bus (“that bus” / “the particular bus we mean”), but plain bussen is the normal way to say “the bus.”

What are the principal forms of the verb here?

The verb is komme (to come).

Infinitive: komme
Present: kommer
Preterite (simple past): kom
Present perfect: har kommet

Why is it “kom” and not “har kommet”? When do I use each?

kom (simple past) states a finished event in the past, even if it happened earlier today.
har kommet (present perfect) emphasizes current relevance/result or an unspecified time in the past. Both can appear with “i dag,” but:
Bussen kom i dag. = It arrived earlier today (simple statement).
Bussen har kommet i dag. = It has arrived today (focus on the fact/result today, e.g., news).
With a precise past time like “i går,” you strongly prefer simple past: Bussen kom i går.

Does “for” mean “for” (as in English), or something else here?

Here for is an intensifier meaning too: for tidlig = “too early.”
As a preposition, for can mean “for,” “to,” “because of,” etc., but in this set phrase for + adjective/adverb it means “too”: for sent (too late), for dyrt (too expensive).

What’s the difference between “for tidlig,” “tidlig,” and “tidligere”?

for tidlig = too early (earlier than acceptable/desired).
tidlig = early (but not necessarily too early).
tidligere = earlier (comparative), relative to some reference. Examples:
Bussen kom tidlig i dag. = The bus came early today (neutral).
Bussen kom tidligere i dag. = The bus came earlier today (than some other point/time).
Bussen kom for tidlig i dag. = The bus came too early today (undesirably early).

Can I move “i dag” to the front? What happens to word order?

Yes: I dag kom bussen for tidlig.
Norwegian main clauses follow the Verb-Second rule. If you front an element like i dag, the finite verb (kom) must stay in second position:

Neutral: Bussen kom for tidlig i dag.
Fronted time: I dag kom bussen for tidlig.

Where does “ikke” (not) go in a sentence like this?

Neutral order: Bussen kom ikke for tidlig i dag.
With fronted time: I dag kom bussen ikke for tidlig.
In main clauses, ikke usually comes after the finite verb and after the subject when something is fronted.

Is “i dag” one word or two?

Two words: i dag. The same for i går (yesterday) and i morgen (tomorrow). Writing “idag” is common informally but nonstandard in Bokmål.

Can “for tidlig” also mean “premature,” like a premature birth?

Yes. for tidlig often means “premature” in medical or figurative contexts:

Han ble født for tidlig. = He was born prematurely.
Context tells you whether it’s literal “too early” vs. “premature.”

How do I pronounce the words?

Approximate guide (varies by dialect):

Bussen: “BÜS-sen” (u like German ü; double s is a long s)
kom: “komm” (o like in British “cot”)
for: “for” with a short, rounded o (not like English “for”)
tidlig: “TEE-dlee” (the g is often silent)
i dag: “ee dahg” (g often heard; in casual speech it may soften)

Could I say “Bussen ankom for tidlig i dag” instead?

Yes. ankomme = “to arrive” (more formal/literary).

Bussen kom… is the everyday choice.
Bussen ankom… sounds formal, written, or in announcements.
Forms: ankomme – ankommer – ankom – har ankommet.

How do I say “my bus” or “that bus” in this sentence?

“My bus”: Bussen min kom for tidlig i dag.
(Postposed possessive is the neutral choice in Bokmål.)
“That bus” / very specific bus: Den bussen kom for tidlig i dag.
(Using den
- definite noun points out a particular bus.)

Is “Bussen kom i dag for tidlig” okay?

It’s understandable but not idiomatic. Prefer:

Bussen kom for tidlig i dag. (most natural)
I dag kom bussen for tidlig. (fronted time)
Keep the phrase for tidlig together, with i dag as the time frame.

What’s the opposite of “for tidlig”?

for sent = too late (two words).
Note the adverb sent (“late”) vs. the adjective sen (“late” as a quality: en sen kveld = a late evening).

Why is it “i dag” and not “på dag”? How do prepositions work with days/times?

It’s idiomatic:

i dag, i går, i morgen (today/yesterday/tomorrow)
på mandag (on Monday), på fredag (on Friday)
So use i for today/yesterday/tomorrow, but på for named weekdays.

Is “i dag tidlig” the same as “tidlig i dag”?

They overlap, but:

i dag tidlig often implies “this morning.”
tidlig i dag means “early today” (usually also morning, but a bit broader/neutral).
With “too early,” you’d still say for tidlig i dag, not “i dag for tidlig.”

What’s the gender and full declension of “buss”?

buss is masculine in Bokmål:

en buss (a bus)
bussen (the bus)
busser (buses)
bussene (the buses)
A feminine form (ei buss) exists in some dialectal usage but is uncommon in standard Bokmål.

What’s the difference between “for” and “før”? I mix them up.

for = “too” (before an adjective/adverb: for tidlig), or the preposition “for” (“for you” = for deg).
før = “before/earlier than” (time): før klokka åtte (before eight o’clock), før i dag (earlier today).
They’re pronounced differently and used in different structures.