Question 1

Why is there no plural ending on smørbrød when you buy two of them?

Accepted Answer

Smørbrød is a neuter noun that forms its indefinite plural identically to the singular:  
– Singular indefinite: et smørbrød  
– Plural indefinite: smørbrød  
There is no extra ending like –er here. You simply say to smørbrød for “two sandwiches.”

Question 2

Why doesn’t the verb move to the end in the clause introduced by siden? In German, subordinate clauses push the verb to the end.

Accepted Answer

Unlike German, Norwegian subordinate clauses keep the verb in second position (V2). The rule is: whether it’s a main clause or a clause introduced by a subordinating conjunction like siden, the finite verb stays in second spot. So you get siden jeg er sulten (not siden jeg sulten er).

Question 3

What’s the difference between using siden and fordi to mean “because” or “since”?

Accepted Answer

Both can introduce causal clauses, but:  
• fordi is slightly more direct for expressing cause (“because”).  
• siden often gives background information, closer to “since.”  
In everyday speech, you can usually use them interchangeably, though some learners feel fordi is more “explicit.”

Question 4

Why is it med ekstra ost and not something like med den ekstra ost or for ekstra ost?

Accepted Answer

• med means “with.”  
• ekstra ost is an uncountable idea (“extra cheese”), so there’s no article (no den).  
Using med is the natural way to say “with extra cheese.”  
for ekstra ost would be ungrammatical here.

Question 5

Why is it jeg kjøper in the present, and not a continuous or progressive form like in English (“I am buying”)?

Accepted Answer

Norwegian doesn’t distinguish between simple present and present continuous. The present tense form kjøper covers both “I buy” and “I am buying.” Context tells you it’s happening now.

Question 6

Why do we need jeg before er sulten? Couldn’t you just say er sulten?

Accepted Answer

Norwegian normally requires an explicit subject pronoun, even though spoken language can sometimes drop it informally. In writing and clear speech, you say jeg er sulten. If you just said er sulten, it would be elliptical and might sound abrupt or incomplete.

Question 7

How do you form the definite form of smørbrød if you want to say “the sandwich”?

Accepted Answer

The definite singular of smørbrød is smørbrødet. You add -et because it’s a neuter noun:  
– Indefinite singular: et smørbrød  
– Definite singular: smørbrødet

Question 8

If I want to put the reason clause at the beginning (“Since I’m hungry, I’m buying…”), does the word order change?

Accepted Answer

Yes. When the subordinate clause comes first, you place a comma, and the main clause still follows V2 but with inversion:  
“Siden jeg er sulten, kjøper jeg to smørbrød med ekstra ost.”  
Notice kjøper jeg instead of jeg kjøper because the subordinate clause counts as the first “element.”

Jeg kjøper to smørbrød med ekstra ost siden jeg er sulten.

Breakdown of Jeg kjøper to smørbrød med ekstra ost siden jeg er sulten.

Questions & Answers about Jeg kjøper to smørbrød med ekstra ost siden jeg er sulten.

More from this lesson

Master Norwegian — from Jeg kjøper to smørbrød med ekstra ost siden jeg er sulten to fluency