Han spør høflig om prisen.

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Breakdown of Han spør høflig om prisen.

• om: about
• prisen: the price
• spørre: to ask

Questions & Answers about Han spør høflig om prisen.

What is the infinitive form of spør, and how do you conjugate it in the present and past tense?

The infinitive is å spørre (to ask). In the present tense, you drop the -re ending and get spør for all persons:

• Jeg spør
• Du spør
• Han/hun spør
  In the past tense, you use spurte:
• Jeg spurte
• Du spurte
• Han/hun spurte

Why is høflig unchanged when it modifies the verb—why not høfligt or høfligere?

In Norwegian many adjectives can double as adverbs without any change. Unlike English, which often adds -ly, Norwegian uses the same form:

• Han er høflig. (He is polite.)
• Han spør høflig. (He asks politely.)
  You only use comparatives (e.g. høfligere) if you want to say “more politely.”

Why do we use the preposition om after spør, and what would happen if we used for?

å spørre om noe means “to ask about something.” The preposition om corresponds to English about. If you used for (as in spør for noe), it wouldn’t make sense—Norwegian uses be om (“to ask for something”) when you want to request something:

• Han ber om hjelp. (He asks for help.)
  But with spørre you always use om to introduce the topic you’re asking about.