Breakdown of Kryssordet spør om hovedstaden, og bibliotekaren hvisker «Oslo».
om
about
og
and
Oslo
Oslo
spørre
to ask
Questions & Answers about Kryssordet spør om hovedstaden, og bibliotekaren hvisker «Oslo».
What is the word kryssordet, and how is it constructed?
Kryssordet is the definite singular form of the neuter noun kryssord (crossword puzzle). Norwegian neuter nouns in indefinite form take et (e.g., et kryssord), and to make them definite you add -et, giving kryssordet (“the crossword puzzle”).
What does spør om mean, and why is it used here?
Spør om literally means “ask about.” In Norwegian, when you ask about a thing or topic, you use the verb spørre plus the preposition om. So kryssordet spør om hovedstaden means “the crossword puzzle asks about the capital.”
Why is there a comma before og in this sentence?
Norwegian style recommends a comma between two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (like og). Here, each clause has its own subject and verb (kryssordet spør …, bibliotekaren hvisker …), so you put a comma before og.
Why is hovedstaden in the definite form?
The puzzle specifically asks for “the capital,” i.e., a unique, known entity. In Norwegian, you make common‐gender nouns definite by adding -en, so indefinite en hovedstad (a capital) becomes hovedstaden (the capital).