Jeg begynner på norskkurset i morgen.

I start the Norwegian course tomorrow.

Breakdown of Jeg begynner på norskkurset i morgen.

• jeg: I
• i morgen: tomorrow
• begynne: to begin
• på: in
• norskkurset: the Norwegian course

Questions & Answers about Jeg begynner på norskkurset i morgen.

Why is the verb begynner in the present tense when we are talking about tomorrow (the future)?

Norwegian often uses the simple present tense to talk about the future, as long as there is a time expression that makes the meaning clear.

So Jeg begynner på norskkurset i morgen literally looks like I begin the Norwegian course tomorrow, but it is understood as I am starting / I will start the Norwegian course tomorrow.

You could also say:

• Jeg skal begynne på norskkurset i morgen.
  (a bit more explicitly future: I’m going to start the Norwegian course tomorrow.)

Both are correct; the version with simple present is very common in everyday speech.

What is the infinitive of begynner, and how is this verb conjugated?

The infinitive is å begynne (to begin / to start).

Basic forms:

• Infinitive: å begynne
• Present: begynner (same for all persons: jeg/du/han/vi/de osv.)
• Past: begynte
• Present perfect (have + past participle): har begynt

Examples:

• Jeg begynner på norskkurset i morgen.
• Jeg begynte på norskkurset i fjor.
• Jeg har begynt på norskkurset.

What is the difference between begynner and starter?

Both can often translate to start or begin, but they are not always interchangeable.

In this sentence, Jeg begynner på norskkurset i morgen is the most natural. You’re starting to attend a course.

You could also hear:

• Jeg starter på norskkurset i morgen. (understandable and not wrong, but less idiomatic)

Rough guideline:

• begynne is a bit more general and very common:
  begynne på skolen, begynne på jobb, begynne på et kurs.
• starte is often used about starting something up, launching, turning on:
  starte bilen, starte et firma, starte et prosjekt.

There is a lot of overlap, but begynne på et kurs is the default choice.

Why is it på norskkurset and not i norskkurset?

In Norwegian, certain verbs just go together with specific prepositions, and you often have to memorize the combinations.

With begynne and courses/school, the natural preposition is usually på:

• begynne på et kurs – start (attending) a course
• begynne på skolen – start school
• begynne på universitetet – start university

I is more about being inside something (in a room, in a box, in a city, etc.), so begynne i norskkurset sounds wrong or at least very odd.

So think of begynne på (et kurs / en skole / et studie) as a fixed pattern.

What exactly is norskkurset grammatically?

Norskkurset is:

1. A compound noun:
   
   • norsk (Norwegian) + kurs (course) → norskkurs (Norwegian course)
2. In the definite singular form:
   
   • et kurs (an course, neuter)
   • kurset (the course)
   • So: norskkurset = the Norwegian course

So på norskkurset means on the Norwegian course / in the Norwegian course in the sense of “attending that specific Norwegian course.”

Why is there a double k in norskkurset?

This is a normal spelling rule for Norwegian compound words:

When the first word ends with the same consonant that the second word begins with, you usually write a double consonant in the compound.

• norsk
  • kurs → norskkurs
• engelsk
  • kurs → engelskkurs

So norsk ends in k, kurs starts with k → norskkurs, and then with the definite ending: norskkurset.

Why is norskkurset not capitalized, even though it’s a language?

In Norwegian, names of languages are not capitalized (unless they are the first word of a sentence or part of a proper name).

So you write:

• norsk, engelsk, spansk, fransk

And similarly:

• norskkurs, norskkurset

This is different from English, where Norwegian, English, Spanish, etc. are capitalized.

Could we say just norskkurs instead of norskkurset in this sentence?

You could say:

• Jeg begynner på et norskkurs i morgen. – I’m starting a Norwegian course tomorrow.

But that changes the meaning slightly:

• norskkurset = the Norwegian course (a specific one, known to speaker and listener)
• et norskkurs = a Norwegian course (not specified which one)

So in the original sentence, the speaker is talking about one particular course, probably already known from context.

Is i morgen one word or two words?

Standard modern Norwegian (Bokmål) writes it as two words:

• i morgen – tomorrow
• i dag – today
• i går – yesterday

Writing imorgen is regarded as incorrect in standard written Norwegian today, even though you may see it in informal contexts or older texts.

Can i morgen appear in a different position in the sentence?

Yes. Norwegian word order is fairly flexible with time expressions, but you must respect the V2 rule (the finite verb comes in the second position in main clauses).

Possible versions:

• Jeg begynner på norskkurset i morgen.
• I morgen begynner jeg på norskkurset.
• Jeg begynner i morgen på norskkurset. (possible, but less natural)

Most common are:

• Subject first: Jeg begynner på norskkurset i morgen.
• Time first (for emphasis): I morgen begynner jeg på norskkurset.

Could we say Jeg skal begynne på norskkurset i morgen instead? Is there a difference?

Yes, that is perfectly correct:

• Jeg skal begynne på norskkurset i morgen.

Both versions are fine:

• Jeg begynner på norskkurset i morgen.
• Jeg skal begynne på norskkurset i morgen.

The version with skal can sound a bit more like a plan/arrangement or slightly more formal/explicit. In everyday speech, the simple present + time expression is extremely common and does not sound less “future-like.”

Why is the subject jeg necessary? Can Norwegian drop subject pronouns like Spanish or Italian?

Norwegian almost always requires an explicit subject pronoun. It behaves more like English than like Spanish/Italian.

So you must say:

• Jeg begynner på norskkurset i morgen.
  Not just Begynner på norskkurset i morgen.

Dropping jeg is only acceptable in very special contexts (e.g., telegram style, notes, headlines, some dialects), but as a learner you should always include the subject pronoun.

How do you pronounce jeg begynner på norskkurset i morgen?

Approximate standard East Norwegian pronunciation (very rough English-style hints):

• jeg – often like yai or ya; the g is usually silent: [jæi] or [jæ]
• begynner – be-JYNN-er, with a short y (like German ü in müssen): [beˈjʏnːər]
• på – like English paw: [poː]
• norskkurset – NORSH-kur-set, with rs pronounced like a sh-sound and u like in French lune: [ˈnɔʂkˌkʉʂə]
• i – like English ee in see: [i]
• morgen – often MOR-en or MÅR-en, with a guttural r: [ˈmɔrən] or [ˈmɔːɾən]

So very roughly:

• [jæi beˈjʏnːər poː ˈnɔʂkˌkʉʂə i ˈmɔrən]

Dialects vary, especially with jeg and r sounds, but this will be widely understood.