B1 Norwegian GrammarAdverbs & Adverb Position
Master Norwegian adverbs and their placement in sentences. Learn how to form adverbs from adjectives, understand the strict rules for adverb position in main and subordinate clauses, and use common adverbs naturally in Norwegian.
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1Forming Adverbs from Adjectives
Many Norwegian adverbs are formed from adjectives. Unlike English (-ly), Norwegian often uses the neuter form of the adjective as an adverb. Add '-t' to most adjectives: rask (quick) → raskt (quickly). Some adverbs have special forms, and many common adverbs don't follow this pattern.
Adjective to Adverb Conversion
| Adjective | Meaning | Adverb | Adverb Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| rask | quick | raskt | quickly |
| langsom | slow | langsomt | slowly |
| høy | high/loud | høyt | highly/loudly |
| stille | quiet | stille | quietly (no change) |
| god | good | godt | well |
| dårlig | bad | dårlig | badly (no change) |
Examples
Hun løper raskt.
She runs quickly.
rask → raskt (add -t)
Han snakker langsomt.
He speaks slowly.
langsom → langsomt (add -t)
De synger høyt.
They sing loudly.
høy → høyt (add -t)
Barna oppfører seg godt.
The children behave well.
god → godt (irregular)
2Adverb Position in Main Clauses
In Norwegian main clauses, adverbs typically follow the verb (V2 rule). Time adverbs often come first or last. The basic order is: Subject - Verb - Adverb - Object. Sentence adverbs (alltid, aldri, ofte) come AFTER the finite verb in main clauses.
Adverb Position in Main Clauses
| Position | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| After verb | Jeg spiser alltid frokost. | I always eat breakfast. |
| After verb | Han kommer ofte sent. | He often arrives late. |
| Time at start | I dag jobber jeg hjemme. | Today I work from home. |
| Manner at end | Hun snakker norsk godt. | She speaks Norwegian well. |
Examples
Jeg leser alltid avisen om morgenen.
I always read the newspaper in the morning.
alltid after verb (leser)
Hun kommer aldri for sent.
She never arrives late.
aldri after verb (kommer)
Vi spiser ofte ute på fredager.
We often eat out on Fridays.
ofte after verb (spiser)
I morgen skal jeg jobbe tidlig.
Tomorrow I will work early.
Time adverb can start sentence
3Adverb Position in Subordinate Clauses
In subordinate clauses (after at, fordi, når, hvis, etc.), sentence adverbs come BEFORE the verb. This is a key difference from main clauses. The pattern is: conjunction + subject + ADVERB + verb. This is often called the 'BIFF' rule (Bare I Fortellinger Foran = Only In Stories Before).
Adverb Position Comparison
| Clause Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Main clause | Verb + Adverb | Han spiser alltid... |
| Subordinate | Adverb + Verb | ...fordi han alltid spiser... |
| Main clause | Verb + ikke | Jeg liker ikke... |
| Subordinate | ikke + Verb | ...at jeg ikke liker... |
Examples
Jeg vet at hun alltid kommer tidlig.
I know that she always arrives early.
alltid BEFORE kommer in subordinate clause
Fordi jeg aldri har vært der.
Because I have never been there.
aldri BEFORE har in subordinate clause
Hvis du ikke vil komme, er det greit.
If you don't want to come, that's fine.
ikke BEFORE vil in subordinate clause
Selv om han ofte er trøtt, jobber han hardt.
Although he is often tired, he works hard.
ofte BEFORE er in subordinate clause
4Common Adverbs and Their Usage
Norwegian has many important adverbs that don't derive from adjectives. These include time adverbs (nå, allerede, snart), frequency adverbs (alltid, ofte, sjelden), degree adverbs (veldig, ganske, helt), and place adverbs (her, der, hjemme). Learning these is essential for fluent Norwegian.
Essential Norwegian Adverbs
| Category | Norwegian | English |
|---|---|---|
| Time | nå, allerede, snart, ennå | now, already, soon, still/yet |
| Frequency | alltid, ofte, sjelden, aldri | always, often, seldom, never |
| Degree | veldig, ganske, helt, litt | very, quite, completely, a little |
| Place | her, der, hjemme, ute | here, there, at home, outside |
Examples
Han er allerede ferdig med arbeidet.
He is already finished with the work.
allerede = already (time)
Hun er veldig flink i norsk.
She is very good at Norwegian.
veldig = very (degree)
De bor hjemme hos foreldrene.
They live at home with their parents.
hjemme = at home (place)
Vi ser sjelden på TV.
We seldom watch TV.
sjelden = seldom (frequency)
Practice Exercises
5 exercises
Form adverb: 'Hun løper ___.' (She runs quickly.) From 'rask'
Main clause position: 'Jeg leser ___ avisen.' (I always read the newspaper.)
Subordinate clause: 'Jeg vet at hun ___ kommer.' (I know that she always comes.)
Subordinate with 'ikke': 'Fordi jeg ___ har tid.' (Because I don't have time.)
Choose correct position: 'Hun snakker norsk ___.' (She speaks Norwegian well.)
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