Har du noen gang vært i Oslo?

Have you ever been to Oslo?

Breakdown of Har du noen gang vært i Oslo?

• være: to be
• du: you
• ha: to have
• i: in
• Oslo: Oslo
• noen gang: ever

Questions & Answers about Har du noen gang vært i Oslo?

Why is noen gang used in Har du noen gang vært i Oslo? and what does it mean?

The phrase noen gang literally translates to some time but is used just like English ever. It turns “Have you been to Oslo?” (Har du vært i Oslo?) into “Have you ever been to Oslo?” by emphasizing whether it’s happened at any point.

Why is the verb vært used here instead of være or var?

Vært is the past participle of å være (to be). In Norwegian Bokmål, the present perfect tense is formed with the auxiliary har (have) + the past participle.
• har vært = have/has been
By contrast, var is the simple past (“was”), and være is the infinitive (“to be”).

Why does this question start with Har instead of Du? How does the word order work?

Norwegian yes/no questions use inversion, just like English. You put the finite verb first, then the subject:
• Verb–Subject–Object (V–S–O)
So Har du …? = “Have you …?” rather than Du har …? which would be a statement (“You have …”).

Could noen gang go somewhere else in the sentence?

Yes. You can also say:
• Har du vært i Oslo noen gang?
Both orders are correct, though putting noen gang between har and vært (as in the original) is very common for emphasis.

Why is it i Oslo and not til Oslo?

Use i when talking about being “in” a place:
• i Oslo = in Oslo
Use til when indicating movement “to” a place:
• Jeg skal til Oslo = I’m going to Oslo

How do you pronounce noen gang?

Standard Bokmål pronunciation:
• noen ≈ /ˈnuːən/ (“NOO-en”)
• gang ≈ /gɑŋ/ (“gahng”)
Put together: /ˈnuːən gɑŋ/.

What’s the difference between har vært (present perfect) and var (simple past) here?

• Har vært (have been) asks about life experience up to now: “Have you ever been to Oslo?”
• Var (were) asks about a specific past event: “Were you in Oslo [at that time]?”
Use present perfect for general experience and simple past for defined past occasions.

How would I ask “Have you never been to Oslo?” in Norwegian?

Replace noen gang with aldri (never):
• Har du aldri vært i Oslo? = Have you never been to Oslo?

Are there dialectal or Nynorsk alternatives to noen gang?

Yes. In Nynorsk you say nokon gong:
• Har du nokon gong vore i Oslo?
Some Norwegian dialects pronounce noen as någen or noogen, but the meaning stays the same.

How would you answer this question in Norwegian?

To say Yes, you can reply:
• Ja, det har jeg (Yes, I have)
To say No:
• Nei, det har jeg ikke (No, I haven’t)