B2 · Intermédiaire supérieur Chapitre 50

The Nuances of 'Da' vs 'Når'

1 Règles totales
1 min
Règles dans ce chapitre Pratique rapide

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the Norwegian 'when' by distinguishing between unique past moments and repeating occurrences.

  • Identify the specific conditions for using 'da'.
  • Contrast 'da' with the repeating 'når'.
  • Apply the 'Den gang da' rule to narratives.
Den gang da, hver gang når.

Ce que tu vas apprendre

Solving the eternal struggle of which 'when' to use. Learn the rule: 'Den gang da, hver gang når'.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: confidently use 'da' when narrating single past events.

Conseils et astuces (1)

💡

The 'Once' Test

Ask yourself: 'Did this happen only once?' If yes, use 'da'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Temporal 'Da' for Single Past Events

Vocabulaire clé (5)

da when (specific past instance) når when (recurring/future) hendelse event tidspunkt point in time fortid past

Real-World Preview

plane

Recalling a Trip

Review Summary

  • Da + [Subject] + [Verb (Past)]

Erreurs courantes

Childhood is a single, non-repeating period in your life.

Wrong: Når jeg var liten, bodde vi i Bergen.
Correct: Da jeg var liten, bodde vi i Bergen.

This is a recurring habit, not a single past event.

Wrong: Da jeg spiser middag, ser jeg på TV.
Correct: Når jeg spiser middag, ser jeg på TV.

The inclusion of 'hver dag' indicates repetition, which forbids 'da'.

Wrong: Da jeg går til jobb hver dag...
Correct: Når jeg går til jobb hver dag...

Règles dans ce chapitre (1)

1

Temporal 'Da' for Single Past Events

B2

Next Steps

You are making incredible progress! Keep observing how native speakers use these markers in their daily conversations.

Write a short diary entry about yesterday.

Continue to: Tense and Aspect Nuances

Pratique rapide (6)

Fill in the blank.

___ hun ringte, var jeg ute.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Da
Single past event.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Temporal 'Da' for Single Past Events

Choose the correct conjunction.

___ jeg bodde i Bergen, regnet det hver dag.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Da
Specific past period.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Temporal 'Da' for Single Past Events

Fill in the blank.

___ jeg kom hjem, sov alle.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Da
Single past event.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Temporal 'Da' for Single Past Events

Correct the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Da hver gang jeg så ham, smilte han.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Hver gang jeg så ham, smilte han.
Recurring event.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Temporal 'Da' for Single Past Events

Correct the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Da jeg skal reise, kjøpte jeg billett.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Når jeg skal reise...
Future event requires Når.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Temporal 'Da' for Single Past Events

Choose the correct conjunction.

___ jeg var barn, lekte vi mye.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Da
Single past event.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Temporal 'Da' for Single Past Events

Score: /6

Questions fréquentes (2)

No, 'da' is strictly for the past.
If you are unsure, think about whether it happened once or many times.
Chapitre précédent
Nominalization
Chapitre suivant
Tense and Aspect Nuances
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