DiscoverThe Norwegian puzzle - find your missing pieces#18 "Hvis" or "om"? If I only knew ... / Hvis jeg bare visste det ... [grammatikk]
#18 "Hvis" or "om"? If I only knew ... / Hvis jeg bare visste det ... [grammatikk]

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

Update: 2025-09-16
Share

Description

Send us a text

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. 

Support the show

Do you like the podcast? :)

Feel free to buy me a coffee :)

buymeacoffee.com/thenorwegianpuzzle

....

This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Youtube, Deezer and Podcast Addict.

....

Transcript available here: https://the-norwegian-puzzle.buzzsprout.com

....

Questions? Feedback? Get in touch!

norskmedsilje@gmail.com

....

Other places to find me:

www.norsk-med-silje.com

www.facebook.com/norskmedsilje

www.instagram.com/norskmedsilje

www.linkedin.com/in/silje-linn-moss

Comments 
In Channel
loading
00:00
00:00
x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

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

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

Silje Linn Moss