Advanced Conjunctions in Norwegian

In Brief

Use selv om for “although/even though” and med mindre for “unless”; both introduce a subordinate clause, where ikke normally comes before the finite verb. Use the paired structures enten ... eller for “either ... or” and verken ... eller for “neither ... nor.” When a subordinate clause comes first, the following main clause begins with its finite verb: Selv om det regnet, gikk vi ut.

Overview

These four connectors let you express concession, exceptions, alternatives, and double negatives without joining every thought with og (“and”) or men (“but”). They are introduced around B1 because they combine familiar words with more demanding sentence patterns. Two of them—selv om and med mindre—create a subordinate clause (a clause that depends on another clause). The other two—enten ... eller and verken ... eller—are correlative conjunctions (connectors used as a pair).

The main challenge is not memorizing the English equivalent. It is seeing what each connector does to the logic of the sentence and to Norwegian word order. English and Norwegian often use similar ideas, but Norwegian makes the distinction between main-clause and subordinate-clause word order especially visible around words such as ikke.

The examples here use standard written Bokmål. In everyday speech, wording and rhythm vary, but the central patterns remain useful across Norwegian varieties.

How It Works

Selv om: a fact that does not change the result

Selv om means “although” or “even though.” It introduces a real circumstance that might have led you to expect a different result:

• Selv om det regnet, gikk vi ut. — Although it rained, we went out.
• Jeg blir med, selv om jeg er trøtt. — I’m coming along even though I’m tired.

The clause beginning with selv om is subordinate. If it contains sentence negation, ikke normally stands before the finite verb (the verb marked for tense):

Pattern	Norwegian	English
Main clause	Han kommer ikke.	He is not coming.
Subordinate clause	selv om han ikke kommer	even though he is not coming

A selv om clause can come before or after the main clause. When it comes first, the whole subordinate clause occupies the first position. Norwegian’s V2 rule then puts the finite verb first in the following main clause:

• Selv om jeg var sliten, fortsatte jeg.
• Not: Selv om jeg var sliten, jeg fortsatte.

Here fortsatte precedes the subject jeg. English does not show this inversion, so this is an important habit to build.

Do not confuse concessive selv om with hypothetical selv hvis (“even if”):

• Selv om hun er syk, jobber hun. — She is sick, but she is working anyway.
• Selv hvis hun blir syk, kommer hun til å jobbe. — Even if she gets sick, she will work.

The first presents the sickness as a fact. The second presents it as a possibility.

Med mindre: the exception that blocks a result

Med mindre means “unless.” It introduces the one condition under which the main statement does not apply:

• Vi drar klokka åtte, med mindre toget er forsinket. — We are leaving at eight unless the train is delayed.
• Med mindre du betaler, kan du ikke gå. — Unless you pay, you cannot leave.

A useful way to check the meaning is to paraphrase med mindre with hvis ... ikke:

• Jeg går, med mindre du trenger meg.
• Jeg går hvis du ikke trenger meg.

Both mean “I’ll leave unless you need me,” though the second version states the negative condition more directly.

Because med mindre already carries the idea of an exception, adding ikke can reverse the intended logic. Compare:

• Jeg kommer, med mindre jeg blir syk. — I’ll come unless I get sick.
• Jeg kommer, med mindre jeg ikke får fri. — I’ll come unless I do not get time off.

The second is grammatically possible, but harder to process: the exception is “not getting time off.” Prefer a clearer reformulation when several negatives pile up.

Like selv om, med mindre introduces subordinate word order:

• med mindre hun ikke kan komme
• not med mindre hun kan ikke komme

And when the whole clause is first, the main clause inverts:

• Med mindre været blir verre, drar vi i morgen.

Enten ... eller: two alternatives

Enten ... eller means “either ... or.” It can connect single words, phrases, or complete clauses.

What is connected	Pattern	Example
Nouns	enten A eller B	Vi kan ta enten buss eller tog.
Verb phrases	enten A eller B	Du må enten ringe eller sende en melding.
Clauses	enten clause, eller clause	Enten kommer du, eller du blir hjemme.

Keep the two alternatives parallel: if the first part is a noun, the second should normally be a noun; if the first is a clause, the second should be a clause. This makes both the grammar and the choice clear.

When two complete alternatives are presented, Norwegian often uses så in the second clause, especially in speech and emphatic writing:

• Enten kommer du, eller så blir du hjemme. — Either you come, or you stay home.

The version without så is also possible: Enten kommer du, eller du blir hjemme. Notice that clause-initial enten triggers main-clause V2 order: enten kommer du, not enten du kommer, when enten belongs to the main-clause frame. In a subordinate clause, the normal subordinate pattern applies: Jeg vet ikke om enten Kari eller Per kommer.

Verken ... eller: excluding both alternatives

Verken ... eller means “neither ... nor.” It rejects both linked possibilities:

• Verken han eller hun var der. — Neither he nor she was there.
• Jeg drikker verken kaffe eller te. — I drink neither coffee nor tea.

Norwegian normally does not add ikke when verken ... eller already provides the negative meaning:

• Hun kan verken svømme eller sykle. — She can neither swim nor cycle.
• Not normally: Hun kan ikke verken svømme eller sykle.

With verbs, verken usually follows the finite verb or a modal verb:

• Jeg spiser verken kjøtt eller fisk.
• Jeg kan verken synge eller danse.

With a compound tense, it commonly follows the auxiliary (the helping verb): Hun har verken ringt eller skrevet. With subjects, it appears before the first subject: Verken læreren eller elevene visste svaret.

As with enten ... eller, connect grammatically comparable elements. Verken raskt eller særlig nøyaktig pairs two adverbial descriptions; verken regn eller snø pairs two nouns.

Examples in Context

Norwegian	English	Note
Selv om det regnet, gikk vi ut.	Although it rained, we went out.	Fronted subordinate clause; gikk comes before vi.
Hun smilte, selv om hun ikke var fornøyd.	She smiled even though she was not satisfied.	Ikke precedes var in the subordinate clause.
Selv om boka er lang, er den lett å lese.	Although the book is long, it is easy to read.	The following main clause begins with er.
Vi bestiller bord, med mindre du heller vil spise hjemme.	We’ll book a table unless you would rather eat at home.	The exception follows the main clause.
Med mindre du betaler, kan du ikke gå.	Unless you pay, you cannot leave.	Fronting causes kan du, not du kan.
Møtet blir holdt ute med mindre det begynner å regne.	The meeting will be held outside unless it starts to rain.	A practical condition.
Du kan velge enten suppe eller salat.	You can choose either soup or salad.	Two noun alternatives.
Vi må enten dra nå eller vente til i morgen.	We must either leave now or wait until tomorrow.	Parallel verb phrases.
Enten kommer du, eller du blir hjemme.	Either you come, or you stay home.	Two complete clauses.
Enten tar vi toget, eller så leier vi en bil.	Either we take the train, or we rent a car.	Natural clause pairing with så.
Verken han eller hun var der.	Neither he nor she was there.	Two subjects are excluded.
Jeg har verken sett filmen eller lest boka.	I have neither seen the film nor read the book.	Parallel perfect verb phrases.
Restauranten er verken billig eller spesielt dyr.	The restaurant is neither cheap nor especially expensive.	Two adjective descriptions.
Hun snakker verken høyt eller fort.	She speaks neither loudly nor quickly.	Two adverbs are linked.

Common Mistakes

Keeping English word order after a fronted subordinate clause

• Wrong: Selv om det regnet, vi gikk ut.
• Right: Selv om det regnet, gikk vi ut.
• Why: The initial subordinate clause fills the first position. The finite verb must come next in the main clause.

Putting ikke after the verb inside a subordinate clause

• Wrong: Jeg blir med, selv om jeg er ikke klar.
• Right: Jeg blir med, selv om jeg ikke er klar.
• Why: In an ordinary subordinate clause, sentence adverbs such as ikke normally come before the finite verb.

Treating selv om and selv hvis as identical

• Misleading: Selv om det regner i morgen, drar vi. when the rain is only hypothetical.
• Clearer: Selv hvis det regner i morgen, drar vi.
• Why: Selv om commonly concedes an accepted fact; selv hvis explicitly means “even if” and suits a possible future condition.

Adding an unnecessary negative to verken ... eller

• Wrong: Jeg liker ikke verken kaffe eller te.
• Right: Jeg liker verken kaffe eller te.
• Why: Verken ... eller already means that both options are rejected. In careful standard usage, the extra ikke is unnecessary and can sound awkward.

Building uneven alternatives

• Awkward: Du kan enten ta bussen eller en taxi.
• Better: Du kan enten ta bussen eller ta en taxi.
• Also good: Du kan ta enten bussen eller en taxi.
• Why: Place enten so that the two elements after it and eller have the same grammatical shape.

Translating “unless” without checking the logic

• Confusing: Jeg drar ikke med mindre du ikke kommer.
• Clearer, depending on the intended meaning: Jeg drar bare hvis du kommer. — I’ll leave only if you come.
• Why: Med mindre plus several negatives is easy to misread. Paraphrase with hvis ... ikke or bare hvis and check which condition permits the result.

Usage Notes

Punctuation and rhythm

A comma normally separates a fronted subordinate clause from the main clause: Selv om det var sent, fortsatte vi. When the short subordinate clause follows, Norwegian comma rules depend on clause structure and editorial convention; the crucial learning point is to make the clause boundary and meaning clear rather than to copy English punctuation automatically.

In paired alternatives, a comma is natural when eller joins two full clauses: Enten går vi nå, eller så venter vi. A comma is not needed between two simple items: enten mandag eller tirsdag.

Neutral, formal, and conversational choices

All four connectors are normal in standard Bokmål and are not restricted to formal writing. Selv om is extremely common in conversation. Med mindre can sound more compact and planned than hvis ikke, while hvis ikke is often very natural in spontaneous speech.

Enten ... eller and verken ... eller can sound emphatic because they mark both sides explicitly. If the alternatives are already obvious, plain eller may be enough: Vil du ha kaffe eller te? Use enten when you want to frame a definite choice or contrast.

Scope: what exactly is being contrasted?

The position of enten or verken signals the scope (the part of the sentence the connector applies to):

• Hun vil enten kjøpe huset eller leie det. — The choice is between buying and renting.
• Hun vil kjøpe enten huset eller leiligheten. — The choice is between two properties.

Place the first connector immediately before the first alternative whenever possible. This prevents the listener from having to revise the sentence halfway through.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Reduced alternatives and omitted repeated words

Norwegian often omits material that would merely repeat:

• Han er enten veldig modig eller veldig dum.
• Han er enten veldig modig eller dum.

Both are possible, but repeating veldig makes it apply clearly to both adjectives. Similar scope differences occur with prepositions and negation, so repetition can improve precision even when grammar allows omission.

Om ... så as a more formal concessive pattern

Alongside selv om, you may encounter the pattern om ... så, especially in formal or rhetorical language:

• Om oppgaven er vanskelig, så er den ikke umulig. — Although the task is difficult, it is not impossible.

For everyday production, selv om is usually the safer and clearer choice. Recognizing om ... så is nevertheless useful when reading opinion pieces and formal prose.

Til tross for and til tross for at

The meaning of selv om can also be expressed with til tross for (“despite”) before a noun phrase, or til tross for at (“despite the fact that”) before a clause:

• Til tross for regnet gikk vi ut. — Despite the rain, we went out.
• Til tross for at det regnet, gikk vi ut. — Despite the fact that it rained, we went out.

The second is structurally heavier and often more formal. The first requires a noun phrase, not a complete clause.

Agreement with paired subjects

With verken A eller B as the subject, speakers may hesitate over singular or plural agreement. Norwegian present-tense verbs usually do not show person or number, so the issue is often invisible: Verken Kari eller Ola kommer. It becomes more noticeable with predicative adjectives or forms that distinguish number. Natural usage can depend on whether the pair is understood collectively and on the nearest subject. When possible, choose wording that sounds unforced rather than importing a rigid English “neither/nor” agreement rule.

Negative scope with verken

Compare these meanings:

• Jeg valgte verken den røde eller den blå. — I chose neither the red one nor the blue one.
• Jeg valgte ikke enten den røde eller den blå. — I did not choose either the red one or the blue one / I did not make that either-or choice.

The second is awkward without context and may be logically ambiguous. Verken ... eller is the direct way to exclude both options. Use ikke begge when you mean “not both,” because that still allows one: Jeg kjøpte ikke begge bøkene does not mean that you bought neither book.

Practice Tips

1. Transform clause order. Take five sentences with a final selv om or med mindre clause, then move that clause to the front. Say the new main-clause inversion aloud: Jeg går ... becomes Selv om ..., går jeg ....
2. Build parallel pairs. Make three sets with nouns, three with verb phrases, and three with full clauses. Alternate enten ... eller and verken ... eller while keeping both sides in the same grammatical form.
3. Check the logic in plain words. For every med mindre sentence, rewrite it with hvis ... ikke. For every verken ... eller sentence, confirm that both alternatives—not merely one or “not both”—are excluded.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Subordinate Clauses — review subordinate word order and the position of ikke before using selv om and med mindre.