A subordinating conjunction is a word that glues a dependent clause onto a main clause — because, if, when, although, that. In Norwegian these words are more than connectors: each one is a trigger. The instant you write one, the clause that follows switches into subordinate word order, the most important consequence being that ikke (and other sentence adverbs) jumps in front of the verb. This page is the master list — learn to recognise these words and the abstract word-order rule becomes a concrete checklist. The per-type pages (time, cause, condition, concession) drill into individual members.
The one rule they all share
A Norwegian main clause follows the V2 rule: the finite verb sits in second position, and ikke comes after the verb.
Jeg kommer ikke i kveld.
I'm not coming tonight.
A subordinate clause — anything introduced by a subordinating conjunction — flips this: the verb is no longer pinned to second position, and the sentence adverb ikke moves before the finite verb.
Hun sa at hun ikke kommer i kveld.
She said that she isn't coming tonight.
Look at the contrast: kommer ikke in the main clause, but ikke kommer after at. Same words, mirror-image order. This single shift — adverb-before-verb in the subordinate clause — is the recurring stumbling block for English speakers, because English keeps the same order in both clause types.
Coordinating vs subordinating — know the difference
Not every connector triggers this. Coordinating conjunctions — og (and), men (but), eller (or), for (for/because), så (so) — join two clauses of equal rank, and the clause after them keeps main-clause order. Compare:
Jeg ringte, men hun svarte ikke.
I called, but she didn't answer.
Jeg ringte fordi hun ikke svarte.
I called because she wasn't answering.
After coordinating men: svarte ikke (verb-then-adverb, main order). After subordinating fordi: ikke svarte (adverb-then-verb, subordinate order). The connector type decides the word order — see coordinating conjunctions for the other side of this contrast.
The master list, grouped by meaning
Here are the core subordinating conjunctions, grouped by the kind of relationship they express. Every one of them triggers subordinate word order.
| Meaning | Conjunction | English | Example clause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cause / reason | fordi | because | fordi jeg er trøtt |
| siden / ettersom | since, as | siden du spør | |
| Condition | hvis / dersom | if | hvis det regner |
| om | whether / if | om han kommer | |
| Time | når | when (present/future, repeated) | når han ringer |
| da | when (single past) | da jeg var liten | |
| mens | while | mens vi spiste | |
| før | before | før du går | |
| etter at | after | etter at vi kom hjem | |
| Concession | selv om | even though, although | selv om hun er trøtt |
| Purpose / result | slik at / så | so that | slik at alle ser det |
| Statement | at | that | at jeg kommer |
Two spelling points worth flagging: før ("before") is written with ø, not o; and selv om and slik at and etter at are multi-word subordinators — the whole pair is the conjunction, and it is the second word that the clause hangs off.
Cause: fordi, siden, ettersom
Vi gikk hjem fordi det begynte å regne.
We went home because it started to rain.
Siden du ikke svarte, dro vi uten deg.
Since you didn't answer, we left without you.
Condition: hvis, dersom, om
Hvis det regner i morgen, blir vi hjemme.
If it rains tomorrow, we'll stay home.
hvis is the everyday "if"; dersom is a touch more formal but means the same. For the difference between conditional hvis and question-om ("whether"), see om vs hvis.
Time: når, da, mens, før, etter at
Ring meg når du er ferdig.
Call me when you're done.
Note the past/present split between da and når: da marks a single past event (da jeg var liten — that one period), while når covers present, future, and repeated past. This split has no English equivalent and is covered in når vs da.
Concession: selv om
Selv om hun var trøtt, ble hun oppe hele natta.
Even though she was tired, she stayed up all night.
Purpose: slik at
Snakk høyere, slik at alle hører deg.
Speak louder, so that everyone can hear you.
Statement: at
Jeg tror at han ikke har forstått det ennå.
I think that he hasn't understood it yet.
Fronted subordinate clauses still trigger inversion of the MAIN verb
When a subordinate clause comes first, two word-order facts stack up. Inside the subordinate clause: subordinate order (adverb before verb). In the main clause that follows: the whole subordinate clause has filled the fundament, so the main verb inverts and comes before its subject.
Fordi jeg ikke hadde sovet, var jeg helt ødelagt på jobben.
Because I hadn't slept, I was completely wrecked at work.
Trace it: fordi jeg ikke hadde sovet (subordinate order: ikke before hadde), then var jeg (main-clause inversion: verb before subject). Both rules apply at once. Beginners typically miss the inversion and write ...jeg var helt ødelagt.
Common Mistakes
❌ ...fordi jeg kommer ikke.
Incorrect — main-clause order after a subordinator.
✅ ...fordi jeg ikke kommer.
...because I'm not coming.
This is the recurring error. After any subordinator, ikke goes before the verb. English keeps the same order in both clauses, which is why this transfers wrongly.
❌ Hun sa at hun har ikke tid.
Incorrect — at triggers subordinate order, so ikke moves before the verb.
✅ Hun sa at hun ikke har tid.
She said that she doesn't have time.
❌ Selv om det regnet, vi gikk ut.
Incorrect — a fronted subordinate clause forces inversion of the main verb.
✅ Selv om det regnet, gikk vi ut.
Even though it was raining, we went out.
After the fronted selv om-clause, the main verb gikk must come before the subject vi.
❌ Jeg blir hjemme, fordi jeg er syk og fordi jeg har ikke lyst.
Incorrect — the second clause keeps main-clause order; ikke must move.
✅ Jeg blir hjemme fordi jeg er syk og fordi jeg ikke har lyst.
I'm staying home because I'm sick and because I don't feel like it.
Each subordinate clause obeys the rule independently — ikke har, not har ikke.
Key Takeaways
- A subordinating conjunction is a trigger: the clause after it uses subordinate word order.
- The headline consequence: the sentence adverb ikke moves before the finite verb (fordi jeg ikke kommer).
- Coordinating conjunctions (og, men, eller, for, så) do not do this — the clause keeps main-clause order.
- Spelling traps: før with ø; selv om, slik at, etter at are multi-word subordinators.
- When a subordinate clause is fronted, the main verb also inverts (Fordi..., var jeg...).
Now practice Norwegian
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Start learning Norwegian→Related Topics
- 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.
- Time Conjunctions: når, da, mens, før, etter atB1 — The temporal subordinators — and the critical når/da split (når for present, future and repeated past; da for a single past event) that has no English equivalent.
- Cause and Reason: fordi, siden, ettersom, forB1 — The causal conjunctions — fordi (the neutral 'because'), siden and ettersom (since/as), the formal causal da, and how the coordinating for differs in word order.
- Placing ikke and Sentence Adverbs (Main Clause)A2 — In a main clause ikke and adverbs like alltid, aldri, ofte and kanskje sit right after the finite verb — but before a non-finite verb and before the object — so their position is fixed by the verb, not the object, the reverse of English.
- Coordinating Conjunctions: men, eller, for, såA2 — How men (but), eller (or), for (for/because) and så (so) join equal clauses without disturbing word order, and why for is a coordinating 'because' that behaves nothing like the subordinating fordi.