Han bommer ofte.

Because bommer is the present tense form of the verb å bomme.

In Norwegian, many verbs take -r in the present tense:

• å bomme → bommer
• å snakke → snakker
• å jobbe → jobber

So Han bommer ofte uses the normal present tense: he often misses / gets it wrong.

Han is the subject of the sentence. It means he.

So the structure is:

• Han = subject
• bommer = verb
• ofte = adverb

This is a very standard Norwegian sentence pattern: subject + verb + adverb.

In a simple main clause, Norwegian usually places the finite verb in the second position. This is often called the V2 rule.

So in:

• Han bommer ofte

the order is:

1. Han
2. bommer
3. ofte

That is completely natural in Norwegian.

English often does something similar with adverbs of frequency, but not always in the same way. Norwegian word order is a little stricter because the verb typically must stay in second position in main clauses.

Yes, you can.

Ofte bommer han is also grammatically correct, but it has a slightly different emphasis. It brings ofte to the front, so the sentence sounds more like:

• Often, he misses
• He often misses

When you move ofte to the beginning, the verb still has to stay in second position, so it becomes:

• Ofte bommer han
• not Ofte han bommer

That is a very important Norwegian word-order rule.

Not always.

Å bomme can stand alone when the context is clear, especially if you mean something like to miss, to fail, or to get something wrong.

But very often Norwegian also uses it with på:

• Han bommer på målet = He misses the target
• Hun bommet på svaret = She got the answer wrong

So Han bommer ofte is fine on its own, but in other contexts you may see extra information after it.

Even if the general meaning has already been given, it helps to know the nuance.

Å bomme often suggests:

• missing a target
• making a mistake
• getting something wrong
• failing to hit or guess correctly

So it can be used both literally and figuratively.

Examples:

• Han bommer på blink = He misses the bullseye
• Jeg bommet på tidspunktet = I got the time wrong
• De bommer ofte i vurderingene sine = They are often wrong in their assessments

So the verb is quite flexible.

Not always, but very often in simple main clauses like this one.

Compare:

• Han bommer ofte = main clause
• Jeg vet at han ofte bommer = subordinate clause

In the subordinate clause, ofte comes before bommer:

• at han ofte bommer

So adverb placement changes depending on clause type.

A useful pattern is:

• Main clause: subject + verb + adverb
  
  • Han bommer ofte
• Subordinate clause: subject + adverb + verb
  
  • at han ofte bommer

A rough pronunciation for English speakers is something like BOM-mer.

A few helpful points:

• Stress is on the first syllable: BOM-mer
• The o is short
• The double mm helps show that the vowel before it is short
• The final -er is usually a light unstressed ending

You do not pronounce it like English boomer. The vowel is different and shorter.

In careful speech, yes, han is pronounced clearly.

But in everyday spoken Norwegian, pronouns are often reduced. So han may sound weaker or shorter in fast speech, depending on dialect and speaking style.

Still, as a learner, it is best to start with the clear full form:

• han

That is what you should use until you become more familiar with natural spoken reduction.

Yes. The combination of present tense and ofte commonly describes a habit or repeated action.

So Han bommer ofte does not just describe one event. It usually means this happens repeatedly or regularly.

That is why the present tense works well here: it expresses something typical or habitual.

Han bommer ofte is correct.
Han ofte bommer is not correct as a normal main clause.

Norwegian requires the finite verb to come early, usually in second position. That is why:

• Han bommer ofte ✅
• Han ofte bommer ❌

But in a subordinate clause, you can get:

• ... at han ofte bommer ✅

So if you are unsure, remember:

• main clause: han bommer ofte
• subordinate clause: at han ofte bommer