Questions & Answers about Jeg venter lenge på bussen.
What exactly does venter mean here? Is it like wait, hope, or expect?
In this sentence, venter means to wait.
- å vente (på) = to wait (for)
- Jeg venter lenge på bussen. = I am waiting a long time for the bus.
Vente can sometimes be translated as expect, but usually then you’ll see a different structure, e.g. Jeg venter at ... or Jeg venter å ..., and even those are less common than English I expect…. In everyday speech, think of vente (på) as corresponding to wait (for).
Why is it present tense venter and not something like “am waiting”? Does Norwegian have a continuous tense?
Norwegian does not have a separate continuous/progressive tense like English (am waiting, is running).
The plain present tense venter covers both:
- Jeg venter på bussen.
- I wait for the bus. (general habit)
- I am waiting for the bus. (right now)
Context tells you whether it’s a general statement or something happening now. In your sentence, with lenge, it’s naturally understood as I am waiting a long time for the bus.
What is the function of ? Is it like or ?