Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Tom spør meg om jeg egentlig har lyst til å se filmen. - Tom asks me whether I actually want to watch the movie.

Here om introduces an indirect question and translates as “if” or “whether.” In Norwegian you use the pattern spørre noen om noe (“to ask someone about something / whether something”). So Tom spør meg om… literally means “Tom asks me if…”

Why isn’t the verb har at the front of the clause after om, like in a direct question?

Because after om you have a subordinate (embedded) clause, not a main‐clause question. Subordinate clauses in Norwegian do not invert subject and verb. Instead they follow the order:

conjunction (om)
subject (jeg)
finite verb (har) So you get om jeg har…, not om har jeg….

What does the expression har lyst til å mean?

Ha lyst til å + infinitive is an idiomatic way to say “to feel like” or “to want to” do something.
• har = have
• lyst = desire/urge
• til å = to + infinitive
Example: har lyst til å se = “feel like seeing” / “want to see.”

Why do we need both til and å before the verb se?

In the construction ha lyst til å + verb, the preposition til always precedes the infinitive marker å. You cannot drop til. The fixed pattern is: ha lyst til å + infinitive
↑ ↑
preposition infinitive marker

What is the function of egentlig, and where should it go?

Egentlig means “actually,” “really,” or “in fact.” It’s a mid‐field adverb. In a subordinate clause introduced by om, the default word order is: om – subject – verb – adverb – rest
e.g. om jeg har egentlig lyst…
However, placing egentlig immediately before the verb (om jeg egentlig har lyst…) is also common to highlight your hesitation or nuance. Both positions are grammatically possible, but jeg har egentlig lyst (in a standalone sentence) is more neutral.

Why is it filmen (definite) and not en film (indefinite)?

You use the definite form filmen (“the film”) when referring to a specific movie that both speaker and listener know about. If you were talking about any film in general, you’d say en film (“a film”).

Why is the object pronoun meg used after spør?

In Norwegian the verb spørre (“to ask”) takes a direct object in the accusative case. The objective form of jeg (“I”) is meg, so Tom spør meg = “Tom asks me.” Other objective pronouns include deg, ham, henne, oss, dere, dem.

Could you say Tom spør meg om jeg vil se filmen instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, vil is the present‐tense form of ville (“to want/will”).
• Tom spør meg om jeg vil se filmen – “Tom asks me if I want to see the film.”
• Tom spør meg om jeg har lyst til å se filmen – “Tom asks me if I feel like seeing the film.”
Using har lyst til å often sounds softer or more casual (“feel like”), whereas vil is more direct (“want to / intend to”).