Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Så snart jeg kommer hjem, skal jeg ringe deg.

Breakdown of Så snart jeg kommer hjem, skal jeg ringe deg.

Why does Norwegian use kommer here instead of a future form like will come?

In Norwegian, the present tense is very often used for the future when the time is already clear from context.

So in Så snart jeg kommer hjem, the idea is future, even though kommer is grammatically present tense. This is completely normal.

Compare:

Jeg kommer hjem klokka seks. = I’m coming home at six / I’ll come home at six.
Når hun blir ferdig, drar vi. = When she is finished, we’re leaving.

English often does something similar in time clauses:

You would not normally say As soon as I will get home in English, and Norwegian works similarly here.

Why is it skal jeg ringe deg and not jeg skal ringe deg?

This is because Norwegian follows the V2 rule in main clauses: the finite verb usually comes in the second position.

The sentence begins with the time clause:

That whole part counts as the first element. So in the main clause, the finite verb must come next:

That is why the word order is:

and not:

This is one of the most important word-order patterns in Norwegian.