Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg går på konsert sammen med vennen min. - I am going to a concert together with my friend.

In this sentence it’s grammatically present tense, but like in English (“I’m going to a concert”), Norwegian present can also refer to a future plan.

Whether går means literally “walk” or just “go” depends on context:

If you’re actually walking there, går = walk.
In casual speech, går is often used more generally as go, even if you might take a bus or train, especially when the exact means of travel is not important.

You can also use skal or drar for future plans (see other questions below).

Why is it på konsert and not til konsert or something with a preposition like to a concert?

Norwegian often uses på for events and activities that you “attend”:

på konsert – at / to a concert
på kino – to the cinema
på jobb – at work
på fest – at / to a party

So gå på konsert is a fixed, natural-sounding combination that means “go to a concert” (as an event).
Til is more about movement towards a place: gå til skolen (go to the school), kjøre til Oslo (drive to Oslo). For concerts and similar events, på is the usual choice.

Why is there no article before konsert? Why not på en konsert?

Both are possible, but they’re used a bit differently:

Jeg går på konsert.
→ You’re going to a concert (in general); which concert isn’t important. It’s like saying “I’m going to a concert / concerts (as an activity).”
Jeg går på en konsert.
→ You’re going to a specific, single concert, and you’re introducing it as new information.

In everyday speech, when you talk about the activity of attending a concert, Norwegians very often drop the article and just say på konsert.

What’s the difference between sammen med and just med? Could I say Jeg går på konsert med vennen min?

Yes, Jeg går på konsert med vennen min is perfectly correct and very common.

med = with
sammen med = (together) with

Sammen med adds a small emphasis on doing the activity together, as a joint thing. In many contexts, the meaning of “together” is already clear, so people simply say med. In this sentence, sammen med is slightly more explicit and a bit more “complete,” but not necessary.

Why is it vennen min and not min venn? What’s the difference?

Norwegian allows both orders with possessives:

min venn
vennen min

They’re both correct and both mean “my friend”, but the nuance and usage are different:

min venn (possessive before the noun)
- More emphatic or contrastive.
- Used a bit more in writing, speeches, or when you stress whose it is.
- Example: Det er min venn, ikke din. – That’s *my friend, not yours.*
vennen min (possessive after the noun, with definite form)
- This is the most common, neutral everyday way to say “my friend.”
- Feels more natural in casual speech: Jeg går på konsert med vennen min.

So here, vennen min is simply the normal, idiomatic choice.

Why is it vennen with -en at the end? What does that ending mean?

Venn is a masculine noun meaning friend.

en venn = a friend (indefinite)
vennen = the friend (definite)

Norwegian usually makes masculine definite singular nouns with -en. When you put the possessive after the noun (like vennen min), the noun is almost always in the definite form:

vennen min = literally “the friend my” → my friend
boka mi = “the book my” → my book
huset vårt = “the house our” → our house

So vennen is just “the friend,” and vennen min is “my friend.”

How do I know when to use min, mi, or mitt for “my”?

It depends on the grammatical gender of the noun:

min – with masculine nouns
- venn → vennen min / min venn – my friend
- bil → bilen min / min bil – my car
mi – with feminine nouns (in Bokmål, you can also treat them as masculine and use min)
- bok → boka mi / mi bok – my book
- venninne (female friend) → venninna mi / mi venninne
mitt – with neuter nouns
- hus → huset mitt / mitt hus – my house

In this sentence, venn is masculine, so we use min → vennen min.

Could I say Jeg skal på konsert or Jeg drar på konsert instead? What’s the difference from Jeg går på konsert?

All three are possible, but they have slightly different focuses:

Jeg går på konsert.
- Present tense; in context it can mean a future plan.
- Focus is on the activity of going/attending; may or may not literally mean you walk.
Jeg skal på konsert.
- Very common way to talk about a future plan / intention.
- Directly understood as “I am going to (will) go to a concert.”
Jeg drar på konsert.
- dra = to go/leave (often involving some travel).
- Slightly more like “I’m heading off / I’m leaving to go to a concert.”

In everyday speech about future plans, skal på konsert is extremely common and maybe the most neutral.

Can the word order be Jeg går sammen med vennen min på konsert? Is that correct?

Yes, Jeg går sammen med vennen min på konsert is grammatically correct, but it sounds a bit less natural than the original.

Norwegians usually group the verb + preposition + event together:

går på konsert

Then they add who they’re going with:

Jeg går på konsert sammen med vennen min.

Putting sammen med vennen min in the middle splits går på konsert, which is a fairly tight unit. It’s understandable, but the original word order flows more naturally.

Does Norwegian present tense always work for the future like this, or is this a special case?

Norwegian often uses present tense for near future or planned actions, especially when context makes the time clear:

Jeg går på konsert i kveld. – I’m going to a concert tonight.
Hun reiser til Oslo i morgen. – She’s travelling to Oslo tomorrow.

So Jeg går på konsert can mean:

I’m (right now) going to a concert (literally leaving now), or
I’m going to a concert (soon / later) if the context implies a plan.

For more explicit future meaning, you can use skal:

Jeg skal på konsert i morgen.

Is there any difference between venn and venninne? Would that change the sentence?

Yes:

venn – friend (traditionally masculine form, often used in a gender-neutral way nowadays)
venninne – specifically a female friend

So you could also say:

Jeg går på konsert sammen med venninna mi. – I’m going to a concert with my (female) friend.

Here, venninna is the definite form of venninne, and mi is the feminine possessive.

Could I just say Jeg går på konsert med min venn? Is that wrong or just unusual?

It’s grammatically correct, but a bit formal or marked in everyday speech.

Natural, everyday options are:

Jeg går på konsert med vennen min.
Jeg går på konsert sammen med vennen min.

Med min venn tends to sound like you’re emphasizing min (my) or speaking in a more formal, perhaps written style. In normal conversation, Norwegians overwhelmingly prefer vennen min.