Bokmaal vs Nynorsk in Norwegian

Overview

Norway is unique among European countries in having two official written standards for the same spoken language: Bokmaal (literally "book language") and Nynorsk (literally "New Norwegian"). Both are fully developed written languages with their own grammars, vocabularies, and literary traditions. They are mutually intelligible and are both taught in Norwegian schools — every student must learn to write in both standards, though one is chosen as the primary form (hovedmal).

Bokmaal evolved from the Danish-influenced written language that was used during Norway's centuries-long union with Denmark (1380-1814). It was gradually "Norwegianized" through a series of spelling reforms. Nynorsk was created in the 19th century by the linguist Ivar Aasen, who traveled across Norway documenting rural dialects and synthesized them into a new written standard rooted in Norwegian speech rather than Danish writing. Today, approximately 85-90% of Norwegians use Bokmaal as their primary written form, while 10-15% use Nynorsk, primarily in western and central Norway.

At the C2 level, you should be able to read and understand both standards fluently and be aware of the key differences between them. Even if you primarily use Bokmaal, you will encounter Nynorsk in government documents (which must be available in both forms), in literature, and in media from Nynorsk-dominant regions.

How It Works

Key vocabulary differences

Many everyday words differ between the two standards:

Bokmaal	Nynorsk	English
darlig	darleg	bad
sprak	maal / sprak	language
uke	veke	week
noen	nokon / nokre	some
etter	etter	after
bare	berre	only/just
snakke	snakke / tale	speak/talk
vaere	vere	to be
hvilken	kva for ein	which
ogsa	ogsa / au	also
spike	spikre	nail
gjore	gjere	do/make
hvordan	korleis / korleis	how
hvorfor	kvifor	why
fordi	fordi	because

Morphological differences: Nouns

The most visible grammatical difference is in noun inflection. Nynorsk uses a three-gender system more consistently, while Bokmaal allows merging feminine into masculine:

	Bokmaal (conservative)	Bokmaal (radical)	Nynorsk
Indefinite (f)	en/ei bok	ei bok	ei bok
Definite (f)	boken/boka	boka	boka
Indefinite (m)	en gutt	en gut	ein gut
Definite (m)	gutten	gutten	guten
Indefinite (n)	et hus	et hus	eit hus
Definite (n)	huset	huset	huset

Plural forms show significant differences:

	Bokmaal	Nynorsk	English
boys (indef. pl.)	gutter	gutar	boys
boys (def. pl.)	guttene	gutane	the boys
girls (indef. pl.)	jenter	jenter	girls
girls (def. pl.)	jentene	jentene	the girls
houses (indef. pl.)	hus	hus	houses
houses (def. pl.)	husene / husa	husa	the houses

The key pattern: Nynorsk definite plurals typically end in -ane (masculine) and -ene (feminine), while Bokmaal uses -ene for most nouns.

Morphological differences: Verbs

Tense	Bokmaal	Nynorsk	English
Infinitive	å vaere	å vere / å vera	to be
Present	er	er	is/am/are
Past	var	var	was/were
Infinitive	å komme	å kome / å koma	to come
Present	kommer	kjem	comes
Past	kom	kom	came
Infinitive	å finne	å finne / å finna	to find
Present	finner	finn	find(s)
Past	fant	fann	found

Nynorsk verbs often use -a or -e infinitive endings, while Bokmaal predominantly uses -e. Some Nynorsk verb forms (like kjem for "comes") are distinctly different from Bokmaal.

Morphological differences: Pronouns and determiners

	Bokmaal	Nynorsk	English
I	jeg	eg	I
we	vi	vi / me	we
they	de	dei	they
them	dem	dei	them
what	hva	kva	what
who	hvem	kven	who
which	hvilken/hvilket	kva for ein/ei/eit	which
something	noe	noko	something
nothing	ingenting	ingenting / inkje	nothing

Adjective differences

	Bokmaal	Nynorsk	English
Norwegian (adj.)	norsk	norsk	Norwegian
little (n.)	lite / litt	lite	little
each	hver/hvert	kvar/kvart	each
own	egen/eget/egne	eigen/eige/eigne	own

Spelling conventions

Feature	Bokmaal	Nynorsk
hv- questions	hva, hvem, hvor, hvordan	kva, kven, kvar, korleis
Double consonant patterns	komme, finne, ville	kome/koma, finne/finna, vilje
Definite plural -ene/-ane	guttene, husene	gutane, husa

Syntactic differences

While the core sentence structure (V2 rule, subordinate clause word order) is shared, some syntactic preferences differ:

Feature	Bokmaal	Nynorsk
Passive	Both -s and bli-passive common	Bli-passive preferred; -s-passive less used
Cleft sentences	Det er ... som ...	Det er ... som ... (same)
Possessive position	Both pre- and post-nominal	Post-nominal slightly preferred: bilen min over min bil

Examples in Context

Bokmaal	Nynorsk	English
Jeg vet ikke hva jeg skal gjore.	Eg veit ikkje kva eg skal gjere.	I do not know what to do.
Guttene spiller fotball.	Gutane spelar fotball.	The boys are playing football.
Vi har vaert her i en uke.	Vi har vore her i ei veke.	We have been here for a week.
Boka er veldig darlig.	Boka er veldig darleg.	The book is very bad.
Hvordan har du det?	Korleis har du det?	How are you?
De finner noe de liker.	Dei finn noko dei likar.	They find something they like.
Hvem er det?	Kven er det?	Who is it?
Jentene kommer i morgen.	Jentene kjem i morgon.	The girls are coming tomorrow.
Han vil bare snakke norsk.	Han vil berre snakke norsk.	He just wants to speak Norwegian.

Common Mistakes

Mixing the two standards in a single text

• Wrong: Eg vet ikke hva eg skal gjore. (mixing Nynorsk eg with Bokmaal vet, hva, gjore)
• Right (Bokmaal): Jeg vet ikke hva jeg skal gjore.
• Right (Nynorsk): Eg veit ikkje kva eg skal gjere.
• Why: Consistency within a single text is essential. Mixing standards is considered a language error in formal writing.

Assuming Nynorsk is a dialect

• Wrong assumption: Nynorsk is a western Norwegian dialect.
• Right understanding: Nynorsk is a written standard based on multiple dialects. No one speaks "Nynorsk" — people speak their local dialect and write in Nynorsk.
• Why: The distinction between spoken dialect and written standard is fundamental to understanding Norway's language situation.

Using Bokmaal definite plural endings in Nynorsk

• Wrong (Nynorsk): guttene
• Right (Nynorsk): gutane
• Why: Nynorsk masculine definite plurals typically end in -ane, not -ene. This is one of the most recognizable differences.

Applying Nynorsk hv-/kv- rules inconsistently

• Wrong (Nynorsk): Hva kjem du?
• Right (Nynorsk): Kva kjem du? (colloquial) or Kvifor kjem du? (why)
• Why: In Nynorsk, hv- question words are consistently replaced with kv- forms.

Usage Notes

The language situation in Norway is politically charged. Historically, the maalstrid (language struggle) was a major cultural and political conflict, with Nynorsk supporters advocating for a genuinely Norwegian written language and Bokmaal supporters favoring the established Danish-influenced standard. While the debate has cooled considerably, it remains a live issue in education policy and cultural identity.

All government institutions are required to accept both Bokmaal and Nynorsk, and national broadcasting (NRK) uses both. Municipalities declare themselves as Bokmaal, Nynorsk, or "language-neutral." Nynorsk is strongest in the western counties (Vestland, Rogaland, More og Romsdal) and parts of the inland (Innlandet).

Both standards have internal variation. Bokmaal ranges from "conservative" (closer to Danish, with masculine and neuter genders only) to "radical" (closer to spoken Norwegian, with three genders and more Norwegian forms). Nynorsk similarly has a range from conservative (closer to Aasen's original) to moderate (closer to common speech).

For learners, the practical advice is: learn Bokmaal first (as it has more resources and more speakers), but develop reading comprehension in Nynorsk. If you are living in a Nynorsk-dominant area, consider learning Nynorsk as your primary standard.

Practice Tips

1. Read parallel texts. Some Norwegian websites and official documents are available in both Bokmaal and Nynorsk. Read both versions side by side to see the systematic differences.
2. Focus on the key patterns. The main differences cluster around pronouns (jeg/eg), question words (hva/kva), plural endings (-ene/-ane), and a handful of common verbs (vaere/vere, komme/kome). Master these and you can read Nynorsk comfortably.
3. Read Nynorsk literature. Authors like Jon Fosse (Nobel Prize winner), Tarjei Vesaas, and Edvard Hoem write in Nynorsk. Their works are excellent for developing fluency in the standard.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Norwegian Dialects — understanding that Nynorsk was built from dialects helps you see the relationship between spoken and written Norwegian
• Next steps: Literary and Archaic Forms — historical forms that inform both written standards
• Next steps: Formal Written Style — formal writing conventions differ slightly between the two standards