Subordinate Clauses in Norwegian

Overview

Subordinate clauses (Norwegian: leddsetninger) are dependent clauses that cannot stand on their own as complete sentences. They are introduced by subordinating conjunctions such as at (that), om (if/whether), når (when), mens (while), and fordi (because). Learning to use subordinate clauses is a major step forward at the A2 level, because it allows you to express reasons, conditions, time relationships, and reported information.

The most important thing to understand about subordinate clauses in Norwegian is that they have a different word order from main clauses. In a main clause, adverbs like ikke (not) come after the verb. In a subordinate clause, the adverb moves before the finite verb. This shift is one of the trickiest aspects of Norwegian grammar for learners, and it applies to all subordinate clauses regardless of which conjunction introduces them.

Once you internalize this word order rule, subordinate clauses become a powerful tool for building complex, natural-sounding Norwegian sentences. This concept builds directly on the basic word order (V2 rule) you learned at A1.

How It Works

Common subordinating conjunctions

Norwegian	English	Use
at	that	Introduces reported speech or facts
om	if / whether	Introduces conditions or indirect questions
når	when	Introduces time clauses (repeated or future)
mens	while	Introduces simultaneous actions
fordi	because	Introduces reasons
hvis	if	Introduces conditions (interchangeable with om)
selv om	even though	Introduces concessions
før	before	Time relationship
etter at	after	Time relationship

Word order in subordinate clauses

The critical rule: in subordinate clauses, sentence adverbs (like ikke, aldri, alltid, ofte) move to a position before the finite verb.

Main clause	Subordinate clause
Jeg spiser ikke fisk.	... fordi jeg ikke spiser fisk.
Han kommer aldri sent.	... at han aldri kommer sent.
Vi har alltid bodd her.	... mens vi alltid har bodd her.

The full pattern:

Position	Main clause	Subordinate clause
1	Subject	Conjunction
2	Verb	Subject
3	Adverb	Adverb
4	Rest	Verb
5	—	Rest

Subordinate clauses in different positions

A subordinate clause can come after or before the main clause:

After the main clause (most common):

• Jeg blir hjemme fordi det regner.

Before the main clause (the subordinate clause fills position 1, triggering inversion in the main clause):

• Fordi det regner, blir jeg hjemme.

Notice that when the subordinate clause comes first, the main clause starts with the verb (V2 rule — the entire subordinate clause counts as position 1).

Using "at" for reported speech and facts

Norwegian	English
Hun sier at hun er trøtt.	She says that she is tired.
Jeg tror at det er sant.	I think that it is true.
Han vet at vi kommer.	He knows that we are coming.

In spoken Norwegian, at is often dropped: Hun sier hun er trøtt. This is perfectly acceptable.

Examples in Context

Norwegian	English	Note
Jeg vet at han ikke liker fisk.	I know that he does not like fish.	ikke before verb in subordinate clause
Hun spør om vi kommer i morgen.	She asks whether we are coming tomorrow.	om for indirect question
Når det regner, tar jeg bussen.	When it rains, I take the bus.	Subordinate clause first, inversion in main clause
Vi spiste mens barna lekte ute.	We ate while the children played outside.	mens for simultaneous actions
Han ble hjemme fordi han var syk.	He stayed home because he was sick.	fordi for reason
Hvis du vil, kan vi gå på kino.	If you want, we can go to the cinema.	hvis for condition
Jeg visste ikke at du aldri hadde vært i Norge.	I did not know that you had never been to Norway.	aldri before hadde in subordinate clause
Selv om det er kaldt, liker jeg å gå tur.	Even though it is cold, I like to go for a walk.	selv om for concession
De sa at de ikke kunne komme.	They said that they could not come.	ikke before kunne in subordinate clause
Før vi drar, må vi spise frokost.	Before we leave, we must eat breakfast.	før for time, inversion in main clause
Etter at vi spiste, gikk vi en tur.	After we ate, we went for a walk.	etter at for time
Jeg lurer på om hun ikke forstår norsk.	I wonder if she does not understand Norwegian.	ikke before forstår

Common Mistakes

Keeping main-clause word order in subordinate clauses

• Wrong: Jeg vet at han liker ikke fisk.
• Right: Jeg vet at han ikke liker fisk.
• Why: In subordinate clauses, ikke must come before the finite verb. This is the opposite of main clause order.

Forgetting inversion when the subordinate clause comes first

• Wrong: Fordi det regner, jeg blir hjemme.
• Right: Fordi det regner, blir jeg hjemme.
• Why: When a subordinate clause occupies position 1, the main clause must invert (verb before subject) to maintain the V2 rule.

Confusing "fordi" and "for"

• Wrong: For det regner, tar jeg bussen.
• Right: Fordi det regner, tar jeg bussen.
• Why: For is a coordinating conjunction (no word order change, cannot start a sentence as a reason clause). Fordi is a subordinating conjunction that triggers subordinate word order and can come first.

Double negation with "ikke"

• Wrong: Hun sier at hun ikke spiser ikke fisk.
• Right: Hun sier at hun ikke spiser fisk.
• Why: Ikke appears only once. Its position changes in the subordinate clause, but you do not add an extra ikke.

Forgetting "at" changes meaning

• Wrong: Jeg vet han kommer. (in formal writing)
• Right: Jeg vet at han kommer.
• Why: While dropping at is acceptable in speech, in formal writing it should be included for clarity.

Usage Notes

In everyday spoken Norwegian, the conjunction at is frequently omitted after common verbs like tro (think), si (say), vite (know), and synes (feel/think). This is standard and not considered sloppy. However, the subordinate word order rule still applies to the clause even when at is dropped.

The choice between om and hvis for conditional clauses is largely interchangeable in modern Norwegian, though hvis is slightly more common in written language. In indirect questions, only om is used: Jeg lurer på om han kommer (I wonder if he is coming).

Regional variation exists in how strictly the subordinate clause word order rule is followed in casual speech. In some dialects, you may hear main-clause word order even in subordinate clauses, but this is considered non-standard in Bokmål writing.

Practice Tips

1. Practice the "ikke" flip. Take five main-clause sentences with ikke and rewrite them as subordinate clauses after fordi. Notice how ikke jumps in front of the verb each time.
2. Build complex sentences daily. Take simple sentences from your A1 vocabulary and connect them: Jeg spiser. Jeg er sulten. becomes Jeg spiser fordi jeg er sulten.
3. Read Norwegian news headlines and lead paragraphs. News writing is full of at-clauses for reported speech. Notice the word order in each subordinate clause.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Basic Word Order — you need to understand V2 and inversion before tackling subordinate clause word order
• Next steps: Relative Clauses — a specific type of subordinate clause using som
• Next steps: Temporal Conjunctions — deeper exploration of time-related subordinating conjunctions
• Next steps: Indirect Questions — subordinate clauses introduced by question words
• Next steps: Advanced Conjunctions — more complex subordinating conjunctions at B1+
• Next steps: Indirect Speech — reported speech with tense shifts