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A1🔄Verbs & Tenses
Ha (to have) & Være (to be)
Ha og være
The two most essential Norwegian verbs. 'Å ha' (to have): har (present). 'Å være' (to be): er (present). Both are irregular and must be memorized. They are used in countless everyday expressions.
Rule
å ha → har | å være → er
Examples
Jeg har en katt.
I have a cat.
Hun er norsk.
She is Norwegian.
Vi har det bra.
We are doing well.
Common Mistake
✗
Jeg er har en bil.
✓
Jeg har en bil.
Indian learners sometimes combine 'er' and 'har' because Hindi uses 'hai' for both concepts. In Norwegian, 'er' (is/are) and 'har' (have/has) are always separate verbs.
English vs Norwegian
| English | Norsk |
|---|---|
| I have a cat. | Jeg har en katt. |
| She is Norwegian. | Hun er norsk. |
| We are doing well. | Vi har det bra. |
English
I have a cat.
Norsk
Jeg har en katt.
English
She is Norwegian.
Norsk
Hun er norsk.
English
We are doing well.
Norsk
Vi har det bra.