nå

See also: Appendix:Variations of "na"

Cimbrian

Etymology

From Middle High German nāch, from Old High German nāh. Cognate with German nach; see there for more.

Preposition

nå

1. (Luserna, + dative) after

Related terms

• darnå

References

• Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

Danish

Etymology 1

From Old Norse ná, from Proto-Germanic *nēhwijaną, cognate with Gothic 𐌽𐌴𐍈𐌾𐌰𐌽 (nēƕjan, “to approach”). Derived from *nēhwaz (“near”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɔːˀ/, [ˈnɔˀ]
• Rhymes: -ɑː

Verb

nå (past tense nåede, past participle nået)

1. (transitive) to reach

   Jeg kan ikke nå den øverste hylde.

   I cannot reach the top shelf.

2. (transitive) to have time

   Jeg kan ikke nå det i dag, men måske i morgen.

   I do not have time for it today, but perhaps tomorrow.

3. (transitive) to be in time, arrive

   Jeg nåede det kun lige.

   I only barely made it.

Conjugation

Inflection of nå

	present	past
simple	når	nåede
perfect	har or er nået	havde or var nået
passive	nås	nåedes
participle	nående	nået
imperative	nå	—
infinitive	nå	—
auxiliary verb	have or være	—
gerund	nåen	—

Etymology 2

Possibly originally an unstressed variant of nu (“now”). Compare also German na (“well, oh”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɔ/, [ˈnʌ]

Interjection

nå

1. oh

Usage notes

Like English oh, meaning depends almost entirely on context and intonation.

German Low German

Preposition

nå

1. (Mecklenburgisch) Alternative spelling of nao (“to, towards”)
   • 2018, Susanne Bliemel, Dat wier de Nachtigall un nich de Uhl ... : Plattdeutsche Geschichten, Hinstorff (publisher)

     Un ik bün jå in Polen nå Schaul gåhn vun Lemberg ut, ik kunn Polnisch.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse ná.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /noː/
• Rhymes: -oː

Adverb

nå

1. now (this very moment)

Derived terms

• akkurat nå
• nålevende
• nåværende

Verb

nå (imperative nå, present tense når, simple past nådde, past participle nådd)

1. to reach

References

• “nå” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /noː/
• Rhymes: -oː

Etymology 1

From Old Norse nú. Akin to English now.

Adverb

nå

1. Alternative form of no

Etymology 2

From Old Norse ná.

Verb

nå (imperative nå, present tense når, simple past nådde, past participle nådd or nått)

1. to reach

   Når du i osten?

   Can you reach the cheese?

2. to catch (reach something in time)

   Eg nådde akkurat toget.

   I just caught the train.

Derived terms

• oppnå

References

• “nå” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /noː/

• audio (Gotland)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oː

Etymology 1

From Old Swedish na, from Old Norse ná. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂neḱ- (“to reach, to attain”).

Verb

nå (present når, preterite nådde, supine nått, imperative nå)

1. to reach, attain
   • 1870, Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Mitt liv‎^[1]:

     Var är hoppets guldkust gömd,
     aldrig nådd och aldrig glömd?

     Where is the golden coast of hope hidden,
     never reached and never forgotten?

   • 1939, Selma Lagerlöf, - Slåtterkarlarna på Ekolsund

     Han når sin önskans mål och slår sin sista äng
     just som en restrött sol sig sänkt i västerns säng.

     He reaches his wish's goal and harvests his last meadow
     just as a travelweary sun has lowered itself into the western bed.

   • 2000, Elisabeth Precht, Nätet kryllar av löss och skrönor‎^[2]:

     Det finns ingen som vet hur många som nås av all hälsoinformation på Internet.

     Nobody knows how many are reached by all health information on the Internet.

Conjugation

Conjugation of nå (weak)

	Active		Passive
Infinitive	nå		nås
Supine	nått		nåtts
Imperative	nå		—
Imper. plural1	nån		—
	Present	Past	Present	Past
Indicative	når	nådde	nås	nåddes
Ind. plural1	nå	nådde	nås	nåddes
Subjunctive2	nå	nådde	nås	nåddes
	Participles
Present participle	nående
Past participle	nådd
1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Interjection

nå

1. well? (encouragement to actually provide an answer or reaction to a question)
2. well (used to acknowledge a statement or situation)

   Nå, vi kan alltid gå istället.

   Well, we could always walk instead.

Usage notes

(encouragement): Interjection used to express for the addressee that one is expecting and waiting for an answer or reaction from him or her.

Further reading

• nå in Svensk ordbok.

Anagrams

• ån