Commas and punctuation
Norwegian comma rules are fairly logical, but they're not the same as in your language. Here you'll learn the few rules that cover almost everything you write day to day.
We teach Bokmål, the written standard most people in Norway use.
In short: comma before men (but), comma after a subordinate clause that comes first, no comma before at (that). Decimals take a comma (1,5) and big numbers a space (1 000 000).
Rules
- Comma before men: Jeg ville komme, men bussen var innstilt. (I wanted to come, but the bus was cancelled.)
- Comma between two main clauses joined by og, eller, for or så when each has its own subject: Mamma lager middag, og pappa vasker opp.
- But not when they share the subject: Mamma lager middag og vasker opp.
- If the subordinate clause comes first, put a comma after it: Når jeg kommer hjem, lager jeg middag. Hvis det regner, blir vi inne.
- If it sits in the middle of the sentence, it gets a comma after it: Bilen som står der, er min. (The car standing there is mine.)
- No comma before at, om (whether) or fordi when the clause comes last: Hun sa at hun var syk. Jeg vet ikke om han kommer.
- Lists use commas, but not before the final og: melk, brød, egg og ost. No Oxford comma.
- Comma after ja/nei and when addressing someone: Ja, det kan jeg. Nei takk. Hei, Kari!
- Numbers: 1,5 liter – 2,75 % – 199,50 kr. Thousands are separated by a space: 25 000 kr, 1 000 000.
- Dates and times: 17. mai 2026 (full stop after the day), 17.05.2026, kl. 14.30.
Typical mistake: writing numbers the English way. In Norway 1,500 means one and a half, not fifteen hundred. Write 1 500 for fifteen hundred and 1,5 for one and a half.
Examples
- Jeg ville gjerne komme, men bussen fra Lillestrøm var innstilt.I really wanted to come, but the bus from Lillestrøm was cancelled.
- Når Ola kommer hjem fra jobb, lager han middag.When Ola gets home from work, he makes dinner.
- Hun sa at hun var syk og ble hjemme.She said that she was ill and stayed at home.
- På Kiwi kjøpte vi melk, brød, egg og ost.At Kiwi we bought milk, bread, eggs and cheese.
- Bilen som står utenfor garasjen, er min.The car parked outside the garage is mine.
- Leiligheten i Sandnes ble solgt for 3 450 000 kroner.The flat in Sandnes was sold for 3,450,000 kroner.
- Bakeriet bruker 2,5 kilo mel hver morgen.The bakery uses 2.5 kilos of flour every morning.
- Den 17. mai går barna i tog, og foreldrene står og vinker.On 17 May the children march in a parade, and the parents stand and wave.