Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Hun spør høflig om maten er varm.

spør is the present tense, third person singular form of the verb spørre (to ask). In Norwegian, verbs change ending between the infinitive (å spørre) and the present tense (hun spør/she asks), so we use spør here because hun (she) is doing the asking right now.

Is høflig an adjective or an adverb here, and why does it keep this form?

Although høflig looks like an adjective (“polite”), it also functions as an adverb (“politely”) without any change. Norwegian often uses the same word for both adjectives and manner adverbs. Thus hun spør høflig literally means she asks politely.

Why is om used before maten er varm, and what does it correspond to in English?

Here om is a subordinating conjunction introducing an indirect yes/no question. It corresponds to English if or whether, not the preposition “about.” So spør om maten er varm translates as asks if the food is warm.

Why doesn’t the embedded clause maten er varm invert subject and verb like a direct question?

In subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions such as om, Norwegian uses normal subject–verb–object (SVO) order. Direct questions invert verb and subject (Er maten varm?), but after om you keep SVO: maten er varm.

What does the -en ending in maten signify?

The suffix -en marks the definite singular in Norwegian. mat means food, and maten means the food. In Norwegian the definite article is often attached as a suffix rather than a separate word.

Can I move høflig to another position in the sentence, for example before hun?

Norwegian main clauses follow the verb–second (V2) rule: the finite verb must be the second element. While you can front some adverbials, a manner adverb like høflig is most natural right after the verb. Placing it before the subject—Høflig hun spør om maten er varm—sounds odd in Norwegian.