Lesson 7c: The use of Past Tenses (Preteritum vs. Perfektum)

BRUKE AV PRETERITUM OG PERFEKTUM

Both tenses express the past, however the focus is on something else.

In Preteritum the focus is on when or where something happened i.e. specific time or place , while in Perfektum the focus is on what happened i.e. the result.

Preteritum refers to something, which occurred in the past, and no longer applies i.e. is finished

Perfektum refers to something, which has started in the past and still applies i.e. is ongoing ❶ OR repeated. ❷

Preteritum can be used to give someone advice.

Perfektum can express dependency between ❶one activity, which is not finished yet & ❷the other, which is likely to occur in the near future, given the first is finished.