Han gikk hjem uten at han sa noe.

he

Breakdown of Han gikk hjem uten at han sa noe.

• gå: to go
• si: to say
• noe: anything

Questions & Answers about Han gikk hjem uten at han sa noe.

Why is it gikk and not går?

Because the sentence is in the past tense.

• går = go / is going
• gikk = went

So Han gikk hjem means He went home.

Why is it hjem and not til hjem?

In Norwegian, hjem often works like the English adverb home.

• Han gikk hjem = He went home

You do not usually say til hjem.
That would sound unnatural, just like went to home sounds unnatural in English.

Compare:

• Han gikk hjem = He went home
• Han gikk til huset = He walked to the house

What does uten at mean here?

Uten at means without followed by a whole clause.

So:

• uten at han sa noe = without him saying anything / without saying anything

This is a very common Norwegian structure when English might use without + -ing.

Examples:

• Hun dro uten at hun sa farvel. = She left without saying goodbye.
• De gikk uten at noen merket det. = They left without anyone noticing.

Why is there a full clause after uten at?