Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg tar sjansen og spør sjåføren om et fint sted å spise fisk. - I take the chance and ask the driver for a nice place to eat fish.

Tar sjansen literally means “take the chance” or “seize the opportunity.” It’s an idiomatic expression in Norwegian. You don’t insert en here because sjansen is already in the definite form (“the chance”). When you speak of a specific opportunity at hand, you say ta sjansen rather than ta en sjanse.

Why is there no å before spør in tar sjansen og spør sjåføren?

In Norwegian, when you join two finite verbs with og, you don’t use å before the second verb. Both tar and spør are in the present tense (finite form), sharing the same subject jeg, so you simply say tar ... og spør.

Why is it sjåføren and not en sjåfør or just sjåfør?

Sjåføren is the definite form (“the driver”). You use it here because you mean a specific driver (e.g. the one you’re with or the one you see). If you were referring to any driver in general, you could say en sjåfør (“a driver”) or just sjåfør in certain contexts, but here it’s definite.

Why do we use om after spør?

The verb pattern is spørre noen om noe (“ask someone about something”). The preposition om corresponds to English about or regarding. Whenever you ask someone for information or an opinion, you use om to introduce the topic.

Why is it et fint sted? What gender is sted, and why fint instead of fin?

Sted is a neuter noun (ett-ord), so its indefinite article is et. Adjectives modifying a neuter noun in the singular take a -t ending, hence fint. Fint means “nice” or “pleasant.” If you used fin, that would be the feminine/masculine form, which doesn’t agree with a neuter noun.

Could I say et godt sted instead of et fint sted? Is there a nuance difference?

Yes, et godt sted is grammatically correct and means “a good place.” However, godt often emphasizes quality or usefulness (“a place that works well”), while fint emphasizes aesthetics or pleasantness (“a nice/pleasant place”). They overlap, but fint feels lighter and more about atmosphere.

Why is there an å before spise in et fint sted å spise fisk? Could I use for å spise?

The å marks the infinitive “to eat” in the clause et fint sted å spise fisk (“a nice place to eat fish”). In Norwegian relative clauses after sted, you use å + verb. You only add for when expressing purpose in a main clause (e.g. Jeg stopper her for å spise fisk), but not in this noun phrase.

Why isn’t there an article before fisk? Could I say en fisk or noen fisker?

Here fisk is uncountable and refers to fish as food in general, so you omit the article (just like “eat fish”). Saying en fisk would mean “one fish,” and noen fisker would mean “some fish” (countable). For a general recommendation you leave it bare.

Why is the present form of å spørre spør and not spørre?

Å spørre is a strong, irregular verb. In the present tense it becomes spør, not spørre. Many Norwegian verbs lose the -e ending in the present: infinitive å spørre, present jeg spør.

Could I replace tar sjansen with prøver and say jeg prøver og spør sjåføren?

You could say jeg prøver og spør sjåføren, but it means “I try and ask the driver,” which loses the nuance of risk or boldness. Ta sjansen specifically conveys “taking a risk” or “seizing an opportunity,” whereas prøve simply means “to attempt” without that sense of chance.