stjal

Stjal is the past tense form of the Norwegian verb stjele, meaning to steal or to take something without permission. It is used to describe a completed act of theft in the past and appears in narratives, news reports, and everyday speech when referring to past events.

Etymology and cognates: Stjele derives from Old Norse stjala, with cognates in related Scandinavian languages, such as Danish stjæle and Swedish stjäla. The past tense form stjal reflects a common Norwegian verb pattern for this semantic class. The past participle is stjålet, used in perfect tenses (for example, har stjålet).

Usage and forms: Common forms include å stjele (infinitive), stjeler (present tense), stjal (past tense), and stjålet (past participle). Examples: "Han stjal en sykkel i fjor." (He stole a bicycle last year.) "Hun har stjålet penger fra kassen." (She has stolen money from the till.)

Notes: While stjal is specifically the past tense in Norwegian Bokmål, forms and usage may vary slightly in dialects and in Nynorsk, where related verbs appear with similar meanings. In grammar, stjålet is used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses, as in har stjålet.

See also: stjele, tyveri, tyv, røveri.