{"id":140,"date":"2009-09-07T11:32:14","date_gmt":"2009-09-07T15:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/norwegian\/?p=140"},"modified":"2009-09-07T11:32:14","modified_gmt":"2009-09-07T15:32:14","slug":"passive-verber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/norwegian\/passive-verber\/","title":{"rendered":"Passive verber"},"content":{"rendered":"

Passive verbs.\u00a0 I had a history professor in college that advised me to never use the passive voice in a paper.\u00a0 He said that the content would always read better and sound stronger if I used the active voice.\u00a0 For example, he preferred the sentence “During the Holocaust, perpetrators murdered over 6 million Jews” to “During the Holocaust, over 6 million Jews were murdered.”\u00a0\u00a0After\u00a0I started avoiding the\u00a0passive voice in papers, I agreed with him that my writing sounded much stronger.\u00a0 I think the\u00a0difference is similar to people who\u00a0simply say what they mean rather than take the passive agressive approach and beat around the bush.\u00a0 Actually, now that I think about it, I\u00a0used to be somewhat passive-agressive and when I changed my writing style,\u00a0I began to be more aggressive\u00a0in my decision making and interactions with people.\u00a0\u00a0So, while I definitely think\u00a0the passive voice should be avoided in formal papers, it is simply impossible to filter\u00a0out of everyday speech.\u00a0 I don’t know if we\u00a0are just so comfortable using it or if there is\u00a0another reason.\u00a0 Regardless, the passive\u00a0voice is used<\/span>\u00a0often.\u00a0 So let’s learn how to use the passive voice in Norwegian.\u00a0 It’s pretty simple, actually.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The passive voice in past tense Norwegian employs the verb \u00e5 bli<\/strong> (to be).\u00a0 For example,\u00a0”I was sent home” would be ”Jeg ble sent hjem<\/strong>.”\u00a0The active way to express that sentence would\u00a0require the use of the subject who\u00a0initiated the verb.\u00a0 By that I mean you would\u00a0have to say ”The principle sent me home” or ”The nurse sent me home” or something along those lines.\u00a0\u00a0You’ll notice that with the passive voice, it is easier to leave out the other subject by just ending the sentence after ”hjem<\/strong>” rather than saying ”Jeg ble sent hjem fordi jeg var syk.”\u00a0 <\/strong>By nature, the active voice requires that you\u00a0provide more information.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

In the present tense, the passive voice simply employs the use of an ‘s’ after the verb and omits the verb \u00e5 bli<\/strong>, although it is implied.\u00a0 For example, ”I am being sent home” would be ”Jeg sendes hjem.”\u00a0 <\/strong>Or, ”Can this be exchanged” (speaking of a bill perhaps) is ”Kan dette veksles?”\u00a0 <\/strong>”The class is divided into 5 groups” is ”Klassen deles i 5 grupper.”<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, you may be wondering about the verb synes, <\/strong>to think, which has an ‘s’ at the end in the active voice.\u00a0 This is an exception.\u00a0 ”I think this is difficult” is active, and is translated to ”Jeg synes dette er vanskelig.”\u00a0 <\/strong>Another exception is the verb ”m\u00f8tes,<\/strong>” which means ”meet” in the active voice.\u00a0 For example, ”we’ll meet each other on the train” is ”Vi m\u00f8tes p\u00e5 toget.”\u00a0 <\/strong>Keep these exceptions in mind when you hear or read them so you don’t assume they imply the passive voice.<\/p>\n

Also remember that the passive voice can be used with\u00a0modal verbs.\u00a0 For example, ”Must this be eaten?” would be ”M\u00e5 dette spises?”\u00a0 <\/strong>”Can this be used?” is ”Kan dette brukes?”\u00a0 <\/strong>”Do you want to be served?” is ‘Vil du serveres?”\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

It would be a good exercise to look at Norwegian newspapers online and try to identify passive verber.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Passive verbs.\u00a0 I had a history professor in college that advised me to never use the passive voice in a paper.\u00a0 He said that the content would always read better and sound stronger if I used the active voice.\u00a0 For example, he preferred the sentence “During the Holocaust, perpetrators murdered over 6 million Jews” to…<\/p>\n

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