Questions & Answers about Kan du si hvor biblioteket er?
Why is the verb er at the end of the clause hvor biblioteket er rather than in second position, like in Hvor er biblioteket??
Because hvor biblioteket er is an embedded (indirect) question or subordinate clause. In Norwegian subordinate clauses the verb goes after the subject (no inversion). In direct questions you invert subject and verb, so Hvor er biblioteket? but …si hvor biblioteket er keeps the verb at the end.
Could we add meg (me) as in si meg hvor biblioteket er? What’s the difference?
Yes. If you want to explicitly say “tell me,” you can use:
- Kan du si meg hvor biblioteket er? or
- Kan du fortelle meg hvor biblioteket er?
Norwegians often drop meg when it’s obvious who is asking, so Kan du si hvor biblioteket er? is perfectly natural.
What’s the difference between si and fortelle here?
- si = “to say,” often for short messages or quotes.
- fortelle = “to tell,” usually for longer explanations or stories.
When asking for information, fortelle meg is very common (“tell me”), but si meg also works.
Why is biblioteket written with -et at the end?