væra
Norwegian Bokmål edit
Etymology 1 edit
Alternative forms edit
Noun edit
væra n
Etymology 2 edit
From Old Norse vera. Cognate with Nynorsk, Icelandic and Faroese vera, Swedish vara and Danish være.
Verb edit
væra (present tense er, past tense var, past participle vært)
- (until 2005) To be.
Usage notes edit
Since kløyvd infinitiv (lit. “split infinitive”, should however not be confused with split infinitive) was removed from the official spelling rules in july of 2005, væra is no longer considered correct (see være). However, it may still appear and is still in use in the spoken dialects of Eastern Norway. Most verb infinitives in Bokmål end in -e. The kløyvd infinitiv system allowed a few of them to end in -a instead.
Etymology 3 edit
Alternative forms edit
Verb edit
væra
- simple past of være (Etymology 2)
- past participle of være (Etymology 2)
Norwegian Nynorsk edit
Etymology 1 edit
Verb edit
væra (present tense er, past tense var, past participle vore, passive infinitive værast, present participle værande, imperative vær)
- pronunciation spelling of vera
- 1695, Norske Vers til Kronprintsens Bilager, volume 21, quoted in Syn og Segn, published 1915, page 272:
- gienna wille æg mæ væra
- I would like to join in
Usage notes edit
- This spelling was allowed between the 1917 and 1938 spelling reforms.
Etymology 2 edit
Noun edit
væra n
Etymology 3 edit
Noun edit
væra n
Old Norse edit
Verb edit
væra