Log inSign up

Viktigst for meg nå er at du sover.

Viktigst for meg nå er at du sover.
Most important for me now is that you sleep.

Breakdown of Viktigst for meg nå er at du sover.

være
to be
du
you
sove
to sleep
nå
now
at
that
for
for
meg
me
viktigst
most important
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Norwegian grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Norwegian now

Questions & Answers about Viktigst for meg nå er at du sover.

Why does the sentence start with Viktigst and not with something like Det viktigste?

Norwegian often allows a short fronted phrase with a superlative adjective at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis:

  • Viktigst for meg nå er at du sover.
  • Best for meg er om vi venter.
  • Viktigst av alt er at du er trygg.

The full, more “complete” version of the sentence would be:

  • Det viktigste for meg nå er at du sover.

Here, det viktigste is a noun phrase: the most important thing.
In the shorter version, Viktigst for meg nå functions as a kind of headline or focus phrase in front position, and the det is just left out because the meaning is clear from context.

What is viktigst grammatically? Is it an adjective, an adverb, or something else?

Viktigst is the superlative form of the adjective viktig (important).

Norwegian superlatives have two main forms:

  • Short form: viktigst

    • Used predicatively (after er, blir etc), especially in these fronted-focus structures.
    • Example: Dette er viktigst. (This is most important.)

  • Long/attributive form: viktigste

    • Used directly before a noun.
    • Example: Det viktigste målet er at du sover. (The most important goal is that you sleep.)

In Viktigst for meg nå er at du sover, viktigst is a short-form superlative used predicatively.

Why is there no subject before er? Can a Norwegian sentence start directly with an adjective like that?

Under the surface, the structure is something like:

  • Det som er viktigst for meg nå, er at du sover.

In the actual sentence, several things are “compressed”:

  1. The dummy subject det is omitted.
  2. The relative clause som er is left out.
  3. The predicative phrase Viktigst for meg nå is moved to the front.

So:

  • Det viktigste for meg nå er at du sover.
    → Viktigst for meg nå er at du sover.

Norwegian allows this kind of fronting when it’s clear from context what the subject is (here, the real grammatical subject is the clause at du sover).

Can I also say Det viktigste for meg nå er at du sover or Nå er det viktigst for meg at du sover? Are they all correct?

Yes, all of these are correct, but with slightly different emphasis:

  1. Viktigst for meg nå er at du sover.

    • Very focused, almost like a headline.
    • Emphasises what is most important to me right now.

  2. Det viktigste for meg nå er at du sover.

    • More neutral and complete; sounds very natural in both speech and writing.

  3. Nå er det viktigst for meg at du sover.

    • Fronts Nå (Now) to emphasise the time aspect: At this moment, the most important thing for me is that you sleep.

Meaning-wise they’re almost the same; the differences are mainly in what is highlighted.

Why is it for meg and not til meg?

In Norwegian, many adjectives that express importance, interest, difficulty etc. use the preposition for with the person:

  • Det er viktig for meg. – It is important *to/for me.*
  • Det er vanskelig for henne. – It is difficult for her.
  • Det er interessant for oss. – It is interesting to us.

Til is more about direction or movement towards something:

  • Gi den til meg. – Give it to me.
  • Han kom til meg. – He came to me.

So with viktig, the natural pattern is viktig for noen, not viktig til noen.

What does nå modify here, and can it go in other positions?

In Viktigst for meg nå er at du sover, nå modifies the whole idea of viktigst for meg, meaning right now / at this time.

You can move nå around somewhat:

  • Viktigst nå for meg er at du sover.
  • Det viktigste for meg nå er at du sover.
  • Nå er det viktigst for meg at du sover.

All are understandable. The most common-sounding are probably:

  • Det viktigste for meg nå er ...
  • Nå er det viktigst for meg at ...

Moving nå changes the rhythm and the focus slightly, but the basic meaning is the same.

Why is it at du sover and not something like å sove?

At du sover is a clause (with a subject and a finite verb):

  • at = that
  • du = you (subject)
  • sover = sleep / are sleeping (finite verb)

Norwegian often uses at + full clause where English might use that or sometimes an infinitive:

  • Det viktigste er at du sover. – The most important thing is that you sleep.
  • Det viktigste er å sove. – The most important thing is to sleep.

Difference:

  • at du sover
    • Focuses on you actually sleeping.
  • å sove
    • More general: the act of sleeping is important.

In your sentence, the focus is on you (du), so at du sover is natural.

Why is it du sover and not deg sover?

Du is the subject form (nominative), deg is the object form (accusative).

  • Du sover. – You are sleeping. (du = subject)
  • Jeg ser deg. – I see you. (deg = object)

In at du sover, the subject of the verb sover is du, so it must be du, not deg.

What exactly does sover mean here? Is it like English sleep or are sleeping?

Norwegian does not normally distinguish between simple and progressive forms the way English does.

  • du sover can mean either:
    • you sleep (general)
    • you are sleeping (right now)

Context decides. In this sentence, the meaning is that you sleep / that you are sleeping, and both English translations are possible depending on context:

  • What matters most to me now is that you sleep.
  • What’s most important to me now is that you’re sleeping.
Is at here the same as English that, and can it be left out like in English?

Yes, at here corresponds to English that introducing a subordinate clause:

  • Jeg håper at du sover. – I hope that you sleep / you are sleeping.
  • Det viktigste er at du sover. – The most important thing is that you sleep.

Unlike English, at is usually not optional in Norwegian.
In English you can say both:

  • I think that you’re tired.
  • I think you’re tired.

In Norwegian you normally must keep at:

  • Jeg tror at du er trøtt. ✅
  • Jeg tror du er trøtt. ✅ (this is actually also fine – at is often dropped in speech here)

But in more formal or careful Norwegian, at is often kept, and learners are safer including it. In your sentence:

  • Viktigst for meg nå er at du sover. ✅
  • Viktigst for meg nå er du sover. ❌ (wrong – you need at here)