Signification
Doing what you promised to do.
Contexte culturel
Trust is a major part of Norwegian culture. If you don't 'holde ord', it can take a very long time to regain someone's trust. In Norwegian business, a verbal agreement is often considered as binding as a written one. Norwegian voters are very sensitive to 'løftebrudd' (broken promises). Politicians who don't 'holde ord' are often punished in the next election. Being 'ordholden' is one of the highest compliments you can give a person in a small Norwegian town.
Keep it simple
Don't try to add 'mitt' or 'ditt'. Just say 'holde ord' for everyone.
The 'et' Trap
Remember that 'holde ordet' means you won't stop talking in a meeting!
Signification
Doing what you promised to do.
Keep it simple
Don't try to add 'mitt' or 'ditt'. Just say 'holde ord' for everyone.
The 'et' Trap
Remember that 'holde ordet' means you won't stop talking in a meeting!
Past Tense
Use 'holdt ord' to give a compliment. It's much more powerful than just saying 'takk'.
Teste-toi
Fill in the correct form of 'å holde ord'.
I fjor lovte han å slutte å røyke, og han ______ ord.
The sentence refers to last year ('I fjor'), so we need the past tense 'holdt'.
Which sentence is correct?
Choose the most natural Norwegian sentence:
The idiom is 'å holde ord' without articles or possessives.
Match the situation to the response.
Situation: Your boss promised a bonus and you see it in your bank account.
This is the standard way to acknowledge a promise being kept.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Kommer du på festen? B: Ja, jeg lover. A: Bra, jeg stoler på at du ______.
The speaker is expressing trust that the promise will be kept.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
When to use 'Å holde ord'
Friends
- • Meeting on time
- • Returning items
- • Helping out
Work
- • Deadlines
- • Agreed salary
- • Quality of work
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesI fjor lovte han å slutte å røyke, og han ______ ord.
The sentence refers to last year ('I fjor'), so we need the past tense 'holdt'.
Choose the most natural Norwegian sentence:
The idiom is 'å holde ord' without articles or possessives.
Situation: Your boss promised a bonus and you see it in your bank account.
This is the standard way to acknowledge a promise being kept.
A: Kommer du på festen? B: Ja, jeg lover. A: Bra, jeg stoler på at du ______.
The speaker is expressing trust that the promise will be kept.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsIt's grammatically possible but sounds very unnatural. Stick to 'holde ord'.
It's neutral. You can use it with your boss or your best friend.
The opposite is 'å bryte et løfte' (to break a promise) or 'å ikke holde ord'.
No, for secrets use 'å holde på en hemmelighet'.
Usually no. It sounds like 'oor'.
Yes, saying 'Jeg er en person som holder ord' is a great way to show reliability.
'Holde ord' is more about your general character, while 'holde et løfte' is about one specific promise.
Han holdt ikke ord.
Yes, it's 'å halde ord' in Nynorsk.
It's an adjective meaning 'trustworthy' or 'reliable'.
Expressions liées
å stå ved sitt ord
similarTo stand by one's word.
å være ordholden
specialized formTo be a person of one's word.
å bryte et løfte
contrastTo break a promise.
å holde det man lover
synonymTo keep what one promises.
