Expressing Likes and Preferences in Norwegian

In Brief

Use å like for most everyday likes: Jeg liker kaffe means “I like coffee,” and Jeg liker å lage mat means “I like cooking.” Use å elske for stronger feelings, å foretrekke to compare alternatives, and best, heller, or helst for natural everyday preferences. Norwegian present-tense verbs do not change with the subject: jeg liker, hun liker, and vi liker all use liker.

Overview

Talking about favorite foods, hobbies, people, and choices is one of the most useful A1 skills. The central verb is å like (“to like”). It can be followed by a thing or person, as in Jeg liker sjokolade, or by å + infinitive for an activity, as in Jeg liker å svømme. An infinitive is the basic verb form, such as lese (“read”) or reise (“travel”).

This topic builds on the Present Tense. In standard written Norwegian Bokmål, the forms you need are liker, elsker, foretrekker, and synes. Unlike English, Norwegian does not add a special ending for “he” or “she”: jeg liker, du liker, and hun liker all have the same verb form.

English and Norwegian often match closely with nouns: “I like music” is Jeg liker musikk. With activities, however, English often uses an -ing form, while Norwegian normally uses å + infinitive: “I like reading” becomes Jeg liker å lese. Learning that pattern early prevents one of the most common transfer errors from English.

How It Works

The core expressions

Norwegian expression	Present tense	Main use
å like	liker	neutral, general liking
å elske	elsker	strong affection or enthusiasm
å foretrekke	foretrekker	preference between alternatives
å synes om	synes om	liking or approving of someone or something

The subject is the person or thing that has the feeling or preference. It comes before the verb in a basic statement.

Norwegian	English	Note
Jeg liker te.	I like tea.	subject + verb + thing
Hun liker te.	She likes tea.	the verb remains liker
Vi liker te.	We like tea.	the verb remains liker

Liking a thing or person

Put a noun (a word for a person, place, thing, or idea) after like or elske:

• Jeg liker norsk musikk. — “I like Norwegian music.”
• Han elsker familien sin. — “He loves his family.”
• Vi liker den nye læreren. — “We like the new teacher.”

Norwegian often uses no article when a substance or category is meant generally: Jeg liker kaffe, Jeg liker jazz. A definite form points to something more specific: Jeg liker kaffen means “I like the coffee,” perhaps the coffee being served now.

Å elske is stronger than å like. It can express deep love for a person, but it is also common in enthusiastic everyday statements about food and activities: Jeg elsker pizza and Jeg elsker å danse. As in English, the context tells you whether “love” is emotional or simply very strong enthusiasm.

Liking an activity: å + infinitive

For an activity, use this beginner pattern:

subject + liker/elsker + å + infinitive

Norwegian	English	Note
Jeg liker å lese.	I like reading.	å lese is the activity
Hun elsker å lage mat.	She loves cooking.	literally “loves to make food”
De liker å gå på ski.	They like skiing.	fixed activity phrase gå på ski

Do not try to copy the English -ing ending. Norwegian does have other ways to describe ongoing actions, but it does not use an English-style gerund after like. For a beginner, liker å + infinitive is the reliable choice.

Questions and negative statements

In a yes/no question, put the present-tense verb before the subject:

Liker + subject + object/activity?

• Liker du kaffe? — “Do you like coffee?”
• Liker dere å reise? — “Do you all like traveling?”
• Elsker hun å danse? — “Does she love dancing?”

Norwegian does not add an equivalent of English “do” or “does.” The verb itself moves to the first position.

For a negative statement, put ikke (“not”) after the present-tense verb in a simple main clause:

• Jeg liker ikke kaffe. — “I do not like coffee.”
• Han liker ikke å kjøre om vinteren. — “He does not like driving in winter.”
• Vi elsker ikke filmen. — “We do not love the film.”

In ordinary conversation, ikke like is usually the easiest way to say “not like.” Å mislike (“to dislike”) also exists, but it can sound more deliberate or formal. Å hate (“to hate”) is much stronger.

Saying what you like best

Use best after like to identify a favorite:

• Jeg liker sommeren best. — “I like summer best.”
• Hvilken farge liker du best? — “Which color do you like best?”
• Hun liker denne boka best. — “She likes this book best.”

Here best means “most” in the comparison, not that the thing is objectively the best. Jeg liker sommeren best reports your preference.

Comparing choices with å foretrekke

Å foretrekke is a direct equivalent of “to prefer.” It is useful when alternatives are stated or understood.

Norwegian	English	Note
Jeg foretrekker te.	I prefer tea.	the alternative is understood
Jeg foretrekker te framfor kaffe.	I prefer tea to coffee.	framfor introduces the less preferred option
Hun foretrekker å jobbe hjemme.	She prefers working at home.	activity with å + infinitive
Foretrekker du buss eller tog?	Do you prefer the bus or the train?	question between two options

Both framfor and the spelling fremfor occur in Bokmål. Framfor is used here consistently. In everyday speech, foretrekke may sound a little more deliberate than a sentence with heller or best, but it is normal in both speech and writing.

Heller and helst: everyday preference words

Heller means “rather” when choosing one option instead of another. A very common pattern is vil heller + infinitive (“would rather / prefer to”):

• Jeg vil heller gå. — “I would rather walk.”
• Vil du ha kaffe? Nei, jeg vil heller ha te. — “Would you like coffee? No, I would rather have tea.”
• Vi spiser heller hjemme enn ute. — “We would rather eat at home than out.”

Helst means “preferably” or “most of all.” With vil, it often expresses the speaker’s first choice:

• Jeg vil helst bli hjemme. — “I would prefer to stay home.”
• Når vil du møtes? Helst i morgen. — “When would you like to meet? Preferably tomorrow.”

A useful contrast is:

• heller: option A rather than option B
• helst: the option wanted most of all
• best after like: the thing liked most

Å synes om and å synes

Å synes om + noun/pronoun can mean “to like,” “to approve of,” or “to think well of”:

• Jeg synes om henne. — “I like her / think well of her.”
• Han synes ikke om planen. — “He does not like the plan.”

It is useful, but like is generally the more straightforward everyday verb for a simple personal like: Jeg liker henne or Jeg liker planen.

Be careful with Hva synes du om ...? This extremely common question asks for an opinion: “What do you think of ...?” The answer often uses synes + clause, without om. A clause is a group of words with its own subject and verb.

• Hva synes du om filmen? — “What do you think of the film?”
• Jeg synes filmen er god. — “I think the film is good.”

So om belongs with the topic in the question, but it is not placed before the whole answer clause.

Examples in Context

Norwegian	English	Note
Jeg liker sjokolade.	I like chocolate.	a general like
Hun elsker å lese før hun legger seg.	She loves reading before going to bed.	activity after elsker
Liker du kaffe?	Do you like coffee?	no equivalent of English “do”
Jeg liker sommeren best.	I like summer best.	favorite among alternatives
Barna liker den nye parken.	The children like the new park.	a specific place
Vi liker å gå tur i helgene.	We like going for walks on weekends.	common Norwegian activity phrase
Han liker ikke sterk mat.	He does not like spicy food.	ikke follows the verb
Foretrekker du kaffe eller te?	Do you prefer coffee or tea?	two stated choices
Jeg foretrekker toget framfor bussen.	I prefer the train to the bus.	comparison with framfor
De vil heller spise hjemme.	They would rather eat at home.	everyday preference with heller
Jeg vil helst ha et bord ved vinduet.	I would prefer a table by the window.	polite first choice
Hva synes du om restauranten?	What do you think of the restaurant?	asks for an opinion
Jeg synes restauranten er hyggelig.	I think the restaurant is nice.	opinion with a clause
Hun er veldig glad i hunder.	She is very fond of dogs.	warm affection with glad i

Common Mistakes

Copying the English -ing form

• Wrong: Jeg liker lesing bøker.
• Right: Jeg liker å lese bøker.
• Why: After like, an activity is normally expressed with å + infinitive, not by building an English-style “reading” form.

Adding “do” to a question

• Wrong: Gjør du liker kaffe?
• Right: Liker du kaffe?
• Why: Norwegian forms this question by placing liker before the subject. It does not use a helper verb corresponding to English “do.”

Changing the verb for he or she

• Wrong: Hun likers jazz.
• Right: Hun liker jazz.
• Why: The Norwegian present-tense form is identical with every subject. English “likes” does not provide a model for Norwegian.

Putting ikke before the verb in a basic statement

• Wrong: Jeg ikke liker fisk.
• Right: Jeg liker ikke fisk.
• Why: In a simple main-clause statement, ikke normally comes after the finite verb (the verb carrying tense), here liker.

Using om before an opinion clause

• Wrong: Jeg synes om filmen er god.
• Right: Jeg synes filmen er god.
• Why: Synes om can take a noun (Jeg synes om filmen), but an opinion followed by a full clause uses synes without om.

Making every preference sound equally strong

• Awkward in a neutral context: Jeg elsker denne stolen.
• More neutral: Jeg liker denne stolen.
• Why: Elske expresses strong affection or enthusiasm. It is common, but like is safer when you only mean that something is pleasant or satisfactory.

Usage Notes

People: liker, elsker, and glad i

With people, the choice can affect the emotional message. Jeg liker ham usually means “I like him.” Jeg elsker ham means “I love him” and is much stronger. Å være glad i literally uses the adjective glad (“happy/fond”) plus i, but the whole expression means “to be fond of” or “to love.” It often sounds warm and affectionate with family, friends, animals, places, and activities:

• Jeg er glad i familien min. — “I love / am very fond of my family.”
• Hun er glad i å synge. — “She is fond of singing.”

Do not translate glad i word by word as “happy in.” Learn it as one expression.

Polite choices

In shops, cafés, and planning conversations, jeg vil helst ... can present a preference gently. Jeg foretrekker ... is correct too, but can sound more explicit or firm depending on tone. Adding gjerne often makes a request friendly, though it expresses willingness rather than a comparison: Jeg vil gjerne ha kaffe means “I’d like coffee.” That is not exactly the same as Jeg vil helst ha kaffe, which identifies coffee as the preferred choice.

Written and spoken variation

This article uses Bokmål forms. Pronunciation and some preference expressions vary across Norway, and Nynorsk uses different written forms, including eg likar where Bokmål has jeg liker. At A1, use the written standard you are studying consistently; you do not need to imitate every dialect form you hear.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master these points at A1, but they explain patterns you will meet later.

Heller with negation

Heller ikke means “not ... either,” not “rather”:

• Jeg liker ikke kaffe. Jeg liker heller ikke te. — “I don’t like coffee. I don’t like tea either.”

The surrounding grammar tells you which meaning heller has. With a choice, Jeg vil heller ha te means “I would rather have tea.” After a negative statement, heller ikke means “not either.”

Comparison with enn

A preference can contrast two actions or qualities with enn (“than”):

• Jeg vil heller gå enn å vente. — “I would rather walk than wait.”
• Hun liker te bedre enn kaffe. — “She likes tea better than coffee.”

With like, both bedre (“better/more”) and best appear in preference statements. Bedre enn compares two choices; best selects a favorite from a wider set or from options understood in context.

Word order in subordinate clauses

In a subordinate clause (a dependent part of a larger sentence), ikke normally comes before the finite verb:

• Main clause: Jeg liker ikke kaffe. — “I do not like coffee.”
• Subordinate clause: Hun vet at jeg ikke liker kaffe. — “She knows that I do not like coffee.”

This is a general Norwegian word-order rule, not a special property of like, but preference sentences are a common place to encounter it.

The wider meaning of synes

Synes often reports a personal judgment rather than a simple preference:

• Jeg synes boka er interessant. — “I think the book is interesting.”
• Synes du det er vanskelig? — “Do you think it is difficult?”

It can also be the present tense of å synes, “to be visible/seem,” in other contexts: Fjellet synes i det fjerne (“The mountain is visible in the distance”). Context normally makes the meaning clear. For everyday A1 opinions, focus first on Hva synes du om ...? and Jeg synes ... er ....

Practice Tips

1. Build two versions of each preference. Choose five topics and say both a thing and an activity: Jeg liker bøker and Jeg liker å lese. This reinforces the difference between a noun and å + infinitive.
2. Practice a three-step conversation. Ask Liker du ...?, answer with Ja, jeg liker ... or Nei, jeg liker ikke ..., then add a preference with Jeg liker ... best or Jeg vil heller ....
3. Make a preference ladder. For one topic such as food or travel, write examples with liker, elsker, foretrekker, heller, and helst. Check that each sentence expresses the intended strength or comparison.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Tense — explains the forms liker, elsker, foretrekker, and synes, as well as basic verb placement.