ønske ("to wish, to want") is the polite, considered cousin of ville/vil ("want"). It is a regular weak Class 1 verb, but it earns its B1 placement through nuance: it carries a more formal, more thoughtful tone than plain ville; it has a reflexive form ønske seg for the things you wish were yours; and in the construction skulle ønske it becomes Norwegian's main way of voicing a wish about something that isn't true. Mastering ønske is partly about grammar and largely about register.
Conjugation
Class: weak, Class 1 (-et / -et). Auxiliary: ha.
| Tense / mood | Norwegian | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitiv | å ønske | to wish, to want |
| Presens | ønsker | wish(es), want(s) |
| Preteritum | ønsket | wished, wanted |
| Perfektum | har ønsket | have/has wished |
| Pluskvamperfektum | hadde ønsket | had wished |
| Futurum | skal/vil ønske | will wish |
| Imperativ | ønsk! | wish! |
| Presens partisipp | ønskende | wishing (adjective) |
ønske vs ville/vil — register, not meaning
This is the page's central insight. Both ønske and ville translate as "want," but they differ in politeness and weight, not in basic meaning. vil is the neutral, everyday "want" — direct, sometimes blunt. ønske is softer, more formal, more deliberate: it frames the wish as a considered preference rather than a raw demand. In a shop, a café, or any service situation, ønsker is the courteous choice; vil ha can sound abrupt.
Hva ønsker du å drikke?
What would you like to drink? (polite, e.g. a waiter)
Jeg vil ha en kaffe, takk.
I want a coffee, thanks. (neutral, everyday)
Vi ønsker å takke alle som har bidratt.
We wish to thank everyone who contributed. (formal)
Notice the structures differ too: ønske takes the infinitive with å (ønske å drikke), whereas the modal ville takes a bare infinitive (ville drikke, vil ha). Don't carry ville's bare infinitive over to ønske.
ønske seg — wish for (something you'd like to have)
The reflexive ønske seg means "to wish for / want for oneself" — the verb of birthday and Christmas lists, where you name the things you'd love to receive. The reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject (meg, deg, seg, oss, dere, seg).
Jeg ønsker meg en ny sykkel til bursdagen.
I want a new bike for my birthday.
Hva ønsker dere dere til jul i år?
What do you want for Christmas this year?
Hun har alltid ønsket seg et hus ved sjøen.
She's always wanted a house by the sea.
skulle ønske — wishing for what isn't so
When you wish something were true but it isn't, Norwegian uses skulle ønske + a clause, typically with the verb in the preterite to mark the counterfactual — exactly like English "I wish I had..." This is the everyday way to express regret or longing, and it is one of the most useful patterns at B1.
Jeg skulle ønske jeg hadde mer tid.
I wish I had more time.
Vi skulle ønske at vi kunne bli lenger.
We wish we could stay longer.
Han skulle ønske han aldri hadde sagt det.
He wishes he had never said it.
Greetings and good wishes
ønske is also the verb for wishing someone well, with a person as object and the good thing introduced directly (no preposition): ønske noen velkommen / lykke til / god bedring / god jul.
Vi ønsker deg hjertelig velkommen.
We warmly welcome you. (lit. wish you welcome)
Jeg ønsker deg lykke til med eksamen!
I wish you good luck with the exam!
The related noun is et ønske ("a wish"), neuter, plural ønsker — as in et ønske som gikk i oppfyllelse ("a wish that came true").
Common Mistakes
❌ Jeg ønsker en ny sykkel til bursdagen.
Incomplete — for things you want for yourself, use the reflexive ønske seg
✅ Jeg ønsker meg en ny sykkel til bursdagen.
I want a new bike for my birthday.
❌ Jeg ønsker drikke noe kaldt.
Incorrect — ønske takes the infinitive marker å (unlike the modal ville)
✅ Jeg ønsker å drikke noe kaldt.
I'd like to drink something cold.
❌ Vi har ønskte deg velkommen mange ganger.
Incorrect — ønske is Class 1; the supine is ønsket, not ønskte
✅ Vi har ønsket deg velkommen mange ganger.
We've welcomed you many times.
❌ Jeg skulle ønske jeg har mer tid.
Incorrect — a counterfactual wish needs the preterite: hadde, not har
✅ Jeg skulle ønske jeg hadde mer tid.
I wish I had more time.
Key Takeaways
- ønske / ønsker / ønsket / har ønsket / ønsk! — weak Class 1, both past forms ønsket (never ønskte).
- ønske is the polite, formal "want"; vil (ha) is the neutral everyday one. ønske takes å
- infinitive; ville takes a bare infinitive.
- ønske seg = wish for something for yourself (birthday/Christmas wishes).
- skulle ønske
- preterite = wish for what isn't true: jeg skulle ønske jeg hadde....
- Wish someone well with a direct object: ønske deg velkommen / lykke til. Noun: et ønske.
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
- Weak Verbs: The Four ClassesA2 — A map of the four regular Norwegian past-tense classes (-et/-a, -te, -de, -dde) — how to predict a verb's class from its stem and how the supine differs from the preterite.
- Verb Reference: How to Use These TablesA2 — How to read the Norwegian verb-reference pages — the five principal parts, weak vs strong classes, and the supine (the har-form).
- ville (will/want — full paradigm)A2 — The complete conjugation of the modal ville — present vil, preterite ville (identical to the infinitive), supine villet — and the crucial point that vil primarily means WANT, not neutral 'will'.
- The Conditional: ville/skulle + InfinitiveB1 — How Norwegian expresses English 'would' with the preterite modals ville and skulle, including the ville + infinitive vs ville + supine flexibility English lacks.
- Verbs with Fixed PrepositionsB1 — Verbs that govern a fixed, unpredictable preposition you must memorise as a unit: vente på (wait for), tenke på (think about), lete etter (look for), be om (ask for), glede seg til (look forward to), bestemme seg for (decide on) — where the Norwegian preposition almost never matches English.