To set up a condition — if X, then Y — Norwegian gives you hvis (the everyday "if"), dersom (a more formal "if"), and a striking option English speakers love once they discover it: dropping the conjunction entirely and signalling the condition with verb-first word order. All conditional clauses are subordinate clauses, so ikke goes before the verb; and when the condition comes first, the main clause inverts. This page covers real, open conditions. For if meaning whether (an embedded question), you need a different word — see om: whether. For unreal "if I were you" conditionals, see counterfactual conditionals.
hvis — the everyday "if"
hvis is the default conditional. For a real, open condition — something that may well happen — you pair hvis + present tense in the condition with present or future in the result.
Hvis det regner i morgen, blir vi hjemme.
If it rains tomorrow, we'll stay home.
Hvis du vil, kan vi dra nå.
If you want, we can leave now.
Hvis du ikke skynder deg, rekker vi ikke toget.
If you don't hurry, we won't make the train.
That third example shows the subordinate order inside the hvis-clause: hvis du ikke skynder deg — adverb before verb. English keeps "if you don't hurry," so the temptation is to write hvis du skynder deg ikke, which is wrong.
The fronted condition forces the main clause to invert
A condition can come first or second. Compare:
Vi blir hjemme hvis det regner.
We'll stay home if it rains. (condition second)
Hvis det regner, blir vi hjemme.
If it rains, we'll stay home. (condition first → main verb inverts)
When the hvis-clause is fronted, it fills the opening slot (the fundament) of the sentence, so the main verb must come before its subject: blir vi, not vi blir. This is the single most common conditional error for English speakers, because English keeps "we'll stay home" in subject-verb order no matter where the if-clause sits. The Norwegian must invert. See subordinate clauses for the underlying mechanics.
Hvis du ser ham, kan du hilse fra meg.
If you see him, you can say hi from me.
Trace it: Hvis du ser ham (condition fills the fundament), then kan du (main-clause inversion).
dersom — the formal "if"
dersom means exactly the same as hvis but is more formal and written — you meet it in contracts, official letters, academic prose, and careful speech. It is fully interchangeable with hvis in meaning; only the register differs.
Dersom det er mulig, ber vi om svar innen fredag.
If it is possible, we request a reply by Friday. (formal)
Dersom du ikke betaler i tide, påløper det renter.
If you do not pay on time, interest will accrue. (formal/legal)
The verb-first conditional — dropping "if" entirely
This is the device that makes learners sound advanced. Norwegian can omit the conjunction altogether and signal the condition purely by putting the finite verb first in the clause. This maps exactly onto English subject-verb inversion in "Should it rain, ..." or "Had I known, ..." — a stylistic register English speakers already have an instinct for.
Regner det, blir vi hjemme.
Should it rain, we'll stay home.
Kommer han, blir jeg glad.
If he comes, I'll be happy. (lit. 'Comes he, ...')
The verb-first clause replaces the whole hvis-clause; the main clause that follows still inverts. This pattern is especially natural — and elegant — in counterfactual conditions, where it lines up word-for-word with English:
Hadde jeg visst det, hadde jeg kommet tidligere.
Had I known, I would have come earlier.
Hadde du spurt, ville jeg ha hjulpet deg.
Had you asked, I would have helped you.
The verb-first conditional is a register choice, leaning slightly literary or rhetorical, but it is alive and well in ordinary speech too (Regner det, så...). Deploy it and your Norwegian instantly sounds more native.
hvis ikke — "otherwise / if not"
A high-frequency fixed phrase: hvis ikke on its own means otherwise / if not, standing in for a whole negative condition you don't want to spell out (colloquial, very common).
Du må dra nå. Hvis ikke, rekker du ikke flyet.
You have to leave now. Otherwise, you won't make your flight.
Ta med paraply — hvis ikke blir du våt.
Bring an umbrella — otherwise you'll get wet.
Don't confuse conditional "if" with whether-"if"
English if does double duty: it sets up a condition (If it rains, ...) and it introduces an embedded question (I don't know if he's coming). Norwegian splits these:
- Condition → hvis (or dersom): Hvis han kommer, blir jeg glad.
- Embedded question → om: Jeg vet ikke *om han kommer.*
You can never use hvis for an embedded question. This is one of the most common om/hvis errors and gets its own full treatment in om: whether. The quick test: if you could swap English if for whether, use om; if not, it's a condition and you use hvis.
Common Mistakes
❌ Hvis det regner, vi blir hjemme.
Incorrect — a fronted condition forces the main verb before its subject.
✅ Hvis det regner, blir vi hjemme.
If it rains, we'll stay home.
The number-one conditional error. After a fronted hvis-clause the main verb blir must come before vi.
❌ Jeg vet ikke hvis han kommer.
Incorrect — an embedded question needs om, not hvis.
✅ Jeg vet ikke om han kommer.
I don't know if/whether he's coming.
"Whether he's coming" is an embedded question → om. hvis is only for real conditions.
❌ Hvis du skynder deg ikke, rekker vi ikke toget.
Incorrect — after hvis, ikke goes before the verb.
✅ Hvis du ikke skynder deg, rekker vi ikke toget.
If you don't hurry, we won't make the train.
Subordinate order: hvis du ikke skynder deg, not skynder deg ikke.
❌ Hvis det vil regne i morgen, blir vi hjemme.
Incorrect — keep the condition in the present; no 'will' inside the hvis-clause.
✅ Hvis det regner i morgen, blir vi hjemme.
If it rains tomorrow, we'll stay home.
Norwegian, like English here, uses the present inside the if-clause — don't insert vil/skal.
Key Takeaways
- hvis = everyday if; dersom = the same meaning but formal/written.
- Real condition: hvis + present → present/future result; no "will" inside the if-clause.
- A fronted condition inverts the main verb (Hvis det regner, blir vi...), unlike English.
- Norwegian can drop "if" and signal the condition with verb-first order (Regner det, ...; Hadde jeg visst, ...) — a polished, native-sounding device.
- hvis ikke = otherwise / if not.
- Conditional if = hvis; if meaning whether (embedded question) = om, never hvis.
Now practice Norwegian
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Norwegian→Related Topics
- Real Conditionals (hvis + present)B1 — Open, real conditionals in Norwegian: hvis/dersom/om + present tense, the present-in-both-clauses pattern, the inversion that kicks in when the condition is fronted, the verb-first conditional without hvis, and the crucial når-vs-hvis split.
- Counterfactual Conditionals (hvis + preterite/pluperfect)B2 — Unreal conditionals in Norwegian — present-unreal with the preterite (hvis jeg var rik, ville jeg reist), past-unreal with the pluperfect (hvis jeg hadde visst, ville jeg ha sagt fra), the colloquial ha-drop, the double-hadde spoken form, and the verb-first version that drops hvis.
- om: Whether/If (Embedded Questions)B1 — om = 'whether' — the word that introduces an embedded yes/no question after verbs of knowing, asking and wondering, where English 'if' is ambiguous but Norwegian never allows hvis.
- Subordinate Clause Word OrderA2 — Inside a subordinate clause Norwegian abandons V2: nothing inverts, the subject stays first, and the sentence adverb — above all ikke — moves to BEFORE the finite verb, the deepest fact in Norwegian word order.
- Concessive Conditionals: uansett, samme hvaC1 — The 'no matter what / however / whatever' constructions — uansett (hva/hvor/hvem/når) + clause, colloquial samme hva/hvor, om … aldri så (however hard it is), the wh-word + som enn / enn series (hva som enn skjer, hvor du enn går), the som helst free-choice set (hva som helst = anything), and the frozen verb-first concessive (koste det hva det vil). Two productive patterns where English is less systematic.