Past tense: regular verbs (groups 1–2)
Past tense of regular verbs in groups 1 and 2: group 1 adds -et, group 2 adds -te.
I can form the past tense of common group 1 and 2 verbs.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Jeg snakket med læreren i går.
I spoke with the teacher yesterday.
Han leste avisen om morgenen.
He read the newspaper in the morning.
Vi jobbet hele dagen.
We worked all day.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Group 1: -et
| Infinitive | Present | Past |
|---|---|---|
| å snakke | snakker | snakket |
| å jobbe | jobber | jobbet |
Group 2: -te
| Infinitive | Present | Past |
|---|---|---|
| å lese | leser | leste |
| å kjøpe | kjøper | kjøpte |
🇬🇧 English speakers add -ed (snakk-ed). 🇷🇺 Russian speakers forget the ending entirely. 🇨🇿 Czech speakers confuse group 1/2 selection.
Common Error Patterns
Used wrong past tense suffix for the verb group
Used present tense form where past is required
Jeg snakket med læreren i går.
I spoke with the teacher yesterday.
Group 1 verb: snakke → snakket
Han leste avisen om morgenen.
He read the newspaper in the morning.
Group 2 verb: lese → leste
Vi jobbet hele dagen.
We worked all day.
Group 1 verb: jobbe → jobbet
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises