Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Vi diskuterer særlig pris og tid.

særlig means especially/particularly; it highlights what the main focus is. spesielt is very close and often interchangeable: Vi diskuterer spesielt pris og tid. Nuance: særlig can feel a bit more neutral or formal; spesielt can feel slightly more colloquial or emphatic. Both are correct here.

Why is there no article before pris and tid?

Norwegian often uses bare singular nouns for general topics or abstract concepts. Here, pris and tid refer to the topics of price and time in general, so no article is needed. If you mean specific, known items, you would use the definite forms: prisen (the price) and tiden/tida (the time).

Do I need the preposition om after diskuterer?

No. diskutere is typically transitive: diskutere noe (discuss something). Use om with verbs like snakke: snakke om noe. Use diskutere om only before a clause meaning whether/if: Vi diskuterer om vi skal dra (We are discussing whether we should go).

What verb form is diskuterer?

It’s the present tense of diskutere (to discuss). Principal parts:

Infinitive: diskutere
Present: diskuterer
Preterite: diskuterte
Past participle: har diskutert

Does Norwegian present tense cover both “discuss” and “are discussing”?

Yes. Vi diskuterer can mean either a current ongoing action or a habitual/regular action. Context usually makes it clear. If you want to stress “in the middle of doing it right now,” you can say Vi holder på å diskutere, but it’s not necessary.

Why is særlig placed after the verb?

In main clauses, the finite verb comes second, and many adverbs come after it. Vi diskuterer særlig pris og tid is the most natural order. Alternatives:

Særlig diskuterer vi pris og tid (fronted for strong emphasis; marked style).
Vi diskuterer pris og tid, særlig (afterthought emphasis; informal).

How do you pronounce the words?

Approximate Standard East Norwegian:

Vi [viː]
diskuterer [dɪskʉˈteːrər] (the u is a rounded front vowel [ʉ])
særlig [ˈsæːɭi] (the cluster rl often becomes a retroflex [ɭ]; æ like the vowel in “cat,” but longer)
pris [priːs]
og [o]/[ɔ] (the g is silent)
tid [tiːd] (final d may be weak or silent in some dialects)

What genders are pris and tid, and what are their forms?

pris (m.): en pris, prisen, priser, prisene
tid (f. in Bokmål, but can be m.): ei tid/en tid, tida/tiden, tider, tidene

When would I use prisen and tiden/tida instead?

Use the definite forms when you refer to specific, known items: Vi diskuterer særlig prisen og tiden = you and your listener know exactly which price and which time.

Could I say Vi snakker om pris og tid instead? What’s the difference from diskuterer?

Yes. snakke om is more general/informal (“talk about”). diskutere often implies a more focused, possibly analytical or negotiated discussion. Your sentence with diskuterer fits a business/meeting context especially well.

Is there any comma needed before og?

No. You’re joining two nouns (pris and tid) in a simple list, so no comma is used. A comma would be used if og linked two full main clauses.

I often hear og pronounced like å. Is that right?

Yes—many speakers pronounce og as [o]/[ɔ], which to English ears can sound like å. Don’t pronounce the written g. Note that og (and) and å (to, infinitive marker) are different words in writing, even if they can sound similar.

Can særlig be an adjective? I’ve seen særlige.

Yes. As an adjective, it means special/particular: særlige grunner (special reasons). Forms: særlig (m/f/n sg. indefinite), særlige (plural or definite). In your sentence, særlig is an adverb modifying what is being discussed.

How does ikke (noe) særlig work?

In negatives, ikke (noe) særlig means “not (very) much/particularly.” Examples:

Det var ikke særlig bra (That wasn’t particularly good).
With verbs, you often add noe or another adverb: Vi diskuterer ikke pris og tid noe særlig (We don’t discuss price and time much).

If I’m talking about multiple prices or multiple times, how would that look?

Use plurals: Vi diskuterer særlig priser og tider. This is fine if the context is truly plural (e.g., several price options and several time slots). Otherwise, the singulars are more natural for general topics.

Are there good synonyms for særlig here?

Yes: spesielt, framfor alt (above all), i hovedsak (mainly), i særlig grad (to a particular degree). Example: Vi diskuterer framfor alt pris og tid (a bit more literary).