Norwegian: å be på (correction: å bere på)

[bahrein777]

"Det er den draumen me ber på at noko vedunderleg skal skje, at det må skje – "

This is from the poem "Det er den draumen" by Olav H. Hauge.

I'm confused as to how to interpret "ber på at" here. Is it:

1) addressing the dream, asking it that something would happen?
2) asking some third entity that one could have that dream?
3) asking some third entity that the dream would come true?

Thank you!

 

[myšlenka]

You have perhaps noticed that the poem is written in Nynorsk. The word you are asking about is simply the present tense of the strong verb å bere - to carry. It is indeed homophonous with the present tense of another strong verb; å be - to pray, ask, request. However, the /r/ in the latter case is a present tense marker while in the former, the /r/ is part of the verb stem itself.


Å bere - ber - bar - har bore
Å be - ber - bad - har bede

(I have looked away from any alternate forms in the paradigms.)