This guide covers a wide variety of Norwegian adverbs, with a focus on the most commonly used ones. There are a few different forms of the Norwegian language, with Norwegian Bokmål being the most widely spoken. That is the form which is used in this guide.
Adverbs of frequency serve to describe how often an event occurs. Below is a list of some of the most common Norwegian adverbs of frequency:
| Norwegian adverb | translation |
|---|---|
| alltid | always |
| aldri | never |
| tidvis | occasionally |
| vanligvis | usually |
| jevnlig | regularly |
| engang | once |
| periodevis | periodically |
Here are some example Norwegian phrases which illustrate the use of adverbs of frequency:
Remark: Norwegian and Swedish are similar languages. For instance, the Norwegian adverb “alltid” is the same in Swedish. And the Norwegian adverb “aldri” corresponds to the Swedish adverb “aldrig”.
Adverbs of degree serve to indicate to what extent something applies. Here is a list of the most common Norwegian adverbs of degree:
| Norwegian adverb | translation |
|---|---|
| aldeles | absolutely, completely |
| nesten | almost, nearly |
| meget | very, a lot |
| altfor | too much, overly |
| forholdsvis | relatively |
| nokså | rather, quite |
| temmelig | rather, quite |
| nok | enough |
| bare | just, only |
| ganske | quite |
| neppe | hardly, barely |
| delvis | partly, partially |
| massevis | a lot |
Here are some examples of Norwegian phrases which contain adverbs of degree:
Remark: Notice how some Norwegian adverbs end in “-vis”. This is a suffix which is used in Norwegian to form adverbs from nouns.
Adverbs of place are also called locative adverbs. Their purpose is to provide information about the location. Here are some of the most common adverbs of place in the Norwegian language:
| Norwegian adverb | translation |
|---|---|
| overalt | everywhere |
| annetsteds | elsewhere |
| ingensteds | nowhere |
| utenfor | outside |
| underveis | along the way |
| utenlands | abroad |
| oppstrøms | upstream |
Adverbs of time provide information about when an event occurs, or about how long it lasts. Here are some common Norwegian adverbs of time:
| Norwegian adverb | translation |
|---|---|
| nettopp | just recently |
| etterpå | afterwards |
| straks | immediately |
| årevis | for years |
| allerede | already |
| omsider | finally |
| fortsatt | still |
| fremdeles | still |
| nylig | recently |
| deretter | afterwards, after that |
| hittil | so far, until now |
Remark: Many Norwegian adverbs are similar to the corresponding Danish adverbs. For example, the adverbs “allerede” and “nylig” are the same in both languages. In the case of the Norwegian adverb “hittil” there is a minor spelling difference with its Danish counterpart which is “hidtil”.
Adverbs of manner describe how an action is performed. Below are some examples of Norwegian adverbs of manner:
| Norwegian adverb | translation |
|---|---|
| tilsammen | together |
| alene | alone |
| gjerne | gladly, happily |
| vel | well |
| vaktsomt | cautiously, watchfully |
| besluttsomt | decisevely |
| baklengs | backwards |
Remark: The Norwegian adverb “alene” comes from Middle Low German, and it is similar to the German adverb “allein”. In fact there are a number of similarities between Norwegian and German.
Adverbs of probability serve to describe how likely an event is to occur.
| Norwegian adverb | translation |
|---|---|
| kanskje | maybe, perhaps |
| sannsynligvis | probably |
| muligens | perhaps |
Adverbs of evaluation provide information about the writer’s (or the speaker’s) opinion. These are sometimes also called adverbs of comment, or adverbs of opinion.
| Norwegian adverb | translation |
|---|---|
| dessverre | unfortunately |
| uheldigvis | unfortunately |
| heldigvis | fortunately, luckily |
| forhåpentligvis | hopefully |
Conjunctive adverbs are used to connect ideas, sentences or clauses. Below is a list of some common Norwegian conjunctive adverbs:
| Norwegian adverb | translation |
|---|---|
| dessuten | besides, furthermore |
| ellers | else, otherwise |
| derimot | on the other hand, however |
| hvordan | how |
| derfor | therefore |
| likevel | nevertheless |
| imidlertid | however |
| altså | so, accordingly |
| eksempelvis | for example |
| allikevel | anyway, nevertheless |
| dog | however |
Here are some example Norwegian phrases which illustrate the use of conjunctive adverbs:
Here is a list of some additional adverbs which are commonly used in the Norwegian language.
| Norwegian adverb | translation |
|---|---|
| også | also, as well |
| nå | now |
| her | here |
| da | then |
| hvor | where |
| igjen | again |
| slik | thus, like this |
| der | there |
| dermed | thus |
| først | first |
| kun | only |
| nemlig | in fact, namely |
| akkurat | exactly |
| hvorfor | why |
| ennå | yet |
| helst | preferably |
| sånn | like this |
| omtrent | approximately |
| nest | second, next |
| riktignok | indeed |
| noensinne | ever |
| hit | here |
| nødvendigvis | necessarily |
| henholdsvis | respectively |
| tydeligvis | apparently, evidently |
| derfra | from there |
| hvorav | of which |
| herfra | from here |
| halvveis | halfway |
| utelukkende | exclusively |
| visstnok | allegedly |
| således | thus |
| følgelig | consequently |
| anslagsvis | approximately |
| atter | again |
| unntaksvis | exceptionally |
| vekselvis | alternately |
| især | especially |
Learning Norwegian involves memorizing vocabulary words from the different grammatical categories: nouns, adjectives, adverbs, etc..
A knowledge of Norwegian adverbs will enable you to construct a wider range of Norwegian phrases.
Norwegian is one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn. Norwegian is a language which evolved from Old Norse, the language spoken by the Vikings. Both Norwegian and English belong to the family of Germanic languages.