Norwegian question words in one table
Almost every question word starts with hv, and the verb comes right after it, before the subject. Here are the most common ones with an example you can use straight away.
| Question word | Example |
|---|---|
| hvawhat · What are you doing at the weekend? | Hva gjør du i helga? |
| hvemwho · Who is it? | Hvem er det? |
| hvorwhere · Where do you live? | Hvor bor du? |
| hvor ... frawhere from · Where are you from? | Hvor kommer du fra? |
| nårwhen · When does the course start? | Når begynner kurset? |
| hvorforwhy · Why are you learning Norwegian? | Hvorfor lærer du norsk? |
| hvordanhow · How are you? | Hvordan har du det? |
| hvilken (en/ei)which (en/ei word) · Which bus goes to the centre? | Hvilken buss går til sentrum? |
| hvilket (et)which (et word) · Which language do you speak? | Hvilket språk snakker du? |
| hvilke (pl.)which (plural) · Which days do you work? | Hvilke dager jobber du? |
| hvor myehow much · How much does it cost? | Hvor mye koster det? |
| hvor mangehow many · How many children do you have? | Hvor mange barn har du? |
| hvor lengehow long · How long have you lived in Norway? | Hvor lenge har du bodd i Norge? |
| hvor gammelhow old · How old are you? | Hvor gammel er du? |
| hva slagswhat kind of · What kind of music do you like? | Hva slags musikk liker du? |
| hvem sin (hvis)whose · Whose jacket is this? | Hvem sin jakke er dette? |
| Statement | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Du snakker norsk.Do you speak Norwegian? Yes, a little. | Snakker du norsk? | Ja, litt. |
| Du har barn.Do you have children? No, not yet. | Har du barn? | Nei, ikke ennå. |
| Du liker ikke fisk.Don't you like fish? Yes, I do! | Liker du ikke fisk? | Jo, det gjør jeg! |
Tips:
- Question word, then verb, then subject: Hvor bor du? Never «Hvor du bor?».
- Yes/no questions start with the verb. There is no helper like English «do»: Snakker du norsk?
- Answer a negative question with jo, not ja: Kommer du ikke? Jo!
- Typical mistake: «Hvordan gammel er du?». How old is hvor gammel, how much is hvor mye.
NorskGrammatikk.com