Forbli

Forbli is a Norwegian verb meaning to remain or to stay. It denotes the continuity of a state or location across time and is formed from the base verb bli (to become) with the prefix for-, which signals duration or persistence rather than a moment of change.

Conjugation in Bokmål Norwegian follows a standard strong-verb pattern for the present and past forms. Infinitive: å forbli. Present tense: forblir. Past tense: forble. Past participle: forblitt. The imperative form is forbli. In everyday speech, speakers may also use related constructions with bli, but forbli appears in more formal or written contexts.

Usage and examples: Forbli is used to describe remaining in a physical place as well as persisting in a state or condition. Examples include: Han forble rolig under kritikken. (He remained calm during the criticism.) Hun forble i Oslo hele uka. (She stayed in Oslo the whole week.) The present perfect can be formed with har forblitt, as in Situasjonen har forblitt uforandret siden i går. (The situation has remained unchanged since yesterday.)

Etymology and cognates: Forbli is cognate with Danish forblive and Swedish förbli, reflecting common Germanic roots. In Norwegian, the verb sits within a family of expressions that describe persistence or continuity, alongside related verbs that emphasize change or movement.

See also: bli, forandres, forblir.