Hun snakker kinesisk.

She speaks Chinese.

Breakdown of Hun snakker kinesisk.

• hun: she
• snakke: to speak
• kinesisk: Chinese

Questions & Answers about Hun snakker kinesisk.

Why is there no word for to before snakker?

Because snakker is a finite verb here, not an infinitive.

In Norwegian, the basic infinitive is å snakke = to speak.
But in a normal present-tense sentence, you use the conjugated form:

• å snakke = to speak
• snakker = speak / speaks / am speaking / is speaking, depending on context

So:

• Hun snakker kinesisk. = She speaks Chinese.

Why is it snakker and not something different for she speaks?

In Norwegian, verbs usually do not change according to the subject the way they do in English.

So you get:

• jeg snakker = I speak
• du snakker = you speak
• hun snakker = she speaks
• vi snakker = we speak

The verb stays snakker for all persons in the present tense.

Why is kinesisk not capitalized?

In Norwegian, names of languages and nationalities are usually not capitalized, unlike in English.

So Norwegian writes:

• engelsk = English
• norsk = Norwegian
• kinesisk = Chinese

That is why you write:

• Hun snakker kinesisk.

not Hun snakker Kinesisk.