The Norwegian puzzle - find your missing pieces

#18 "Hvis" or "om"? If I only knew ... / Hvis jeg bare visste det ... [grammatikk]


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Starting with good news - you can always use "om" if you're uncertain, though native speakers typically differentiate between the two in conversation. But when should you use each one correctly? The key distinction lies in their grammatical functions. 

"Hvis" introduces hypothetical situations with consequences. For example, "Hvis du vil ha dessert, må du spise grønnsakene først" (If you want dessert, you must eat your vegetables first). A helpful trick: if you can mentally insert "then" (så/da) after the conditional clause, "hvis" is usually your best choice.

Meanwhile, "om" serves a specific purpose - it introduces indirect questions, in this case yes/no questions without question words like "når" (when) or "hva" (what). Think of "om" as equivalent to "whether" in English. When transforming direct questions like "Går det bra?" (Is it going well?) into indirect speech, you'd say "Jeg spør OM det går bra" (I'm asking whether it's going well).

The episode includes practical examples to test your understanding, with explanations that make this grammar point much clearer. Whether you're a beginner struggling with basic conditionals or an intermediate learner fine-tuning your grammar, this episode provides the clarity you need to sound more natural in Norwegian. 

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The Norwegian puzzle - find your missing piecesBy Silje Linn Moss