Jeg teller til ti mens jeg venter på bussen.

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Breakdown of Jeg teller til ti mens jeg venter på bussen.

• til: to
• mens: while
• vente på: to wait for

Questions & Answers about Jeg teller til ti mens jeg venter på bussen.

Why is teller in the present tense here, not something like “I am counting”?

Norwegian usually uses the simple present (teller) for both habitual actions and actions happening right now. So Jeg teller til ti can mean “I count to ten” or “I’m counting to ten,” depending on context. If you really want to stress “right now,” you can add something like nå (“now”): Jeg teller til ti nå.

What does teller til ti literally mean, and why is til used?

Literally it’s “I count to ten.” Norwegian commonly uses telle til + number to express counting up to a number:

• telle til ti = count to ten
• telle til hundre = count to one hundred
  Til here means “up to / as far as.”

Why is ti not written as a numeral (10)?

Both are possible, but writing small numbers as words is common in running text: ti. In casual notes, instructions, or when emphasizing the number, you might also see 10. The sentence works either way: Jeg teller til 10… is fine.

Why does it say mens jeg venter… and not mens venter jeg…?