Questions & Answers about Hvor er jeg overrasket!
Why do we use hvor here instead of sikke?
The word hvor is used for exclamations that focus on an adjective or an adverb. Because overrasket is an adjective, we use hvor. If you wanted to exclaim about a noun phrase, you would use sikke, as in sikke en overraskelse (what a surprise).
Why is the verb er placed before the subject jeg in an exclamation?
Starting the sentence with the word hvor triggers the standard V2 rule (verb in the second position). Even though this is an exclamation and not a question, the verb er must swap places with the subject jeg to stay in that second slot.
Doesn't hvor usually mean where?
Yes, hvor is the standard question word for where, but it also translates to how when placed in front of an adjective or adverb. In exclamatory sentences like this one, it works exactly like the English exclamation how.
If a group of people were saying How surprised we are!, how would the word overrasket change?
It would change to overraskede. Because overrasket is acting as an adjective describing the subject, it must agree with that subject in number. If the subject is plural (like vi), it takes the plural ending, making the sentence Hvor er vi overraskede!