Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Han snakker som om han visste svaret.

After som om ("as if"), Norwegian typically uses the preterite to mark an unreal or hypothetical situation. Han snakker som om han visste svaret means he talks as though he knew, but he probably doesn’t. English does the same in form: "as if he knew."

Does the sentence imply that he actually doesn’t know the answer?

Usually yes. Using visste gives a counterfactual flavor: he talks that way, but he likely doesn’t know. Context can soften this, but that’s the default reading.

Can I say Han snakker som om han vet svaret?

Yes, but it changes the implication. With vet (present), you tend to suggest that he actually does know. Many speakers still prefer visste; use vet when you want to avoid the counterfactual nuance.

What’s the difference between visste and viste?

visste = "knew" (preterite of vite, "to know"). Past participle: visst.
viste = "showed" (preterite of vise, "to show"). Past participle: vist. They’re different verbs with different meanings. Note the spelling: double s in visste, single s in viste.

Why is it svaret and not just svar?

Because it means "the answer" to a specific, understood question. Svar is a neuter noun:

Indefinite singular: et svar
Definite singular: svaret
Indefinite plural: svar
Definite plural: svarene Here, the definite form svaret is natural.

Where would the negation go if I want "as if he didn’t know the answer"?

In subordinate clauses, ikke comes before the finite verb:

Han snakker som om han ikke visste svaret. Compare: main clause negation comes after the verb (Han snakker ikke), but in subordinate clauses it goes Subject + ikke
- Verb.

Do I have to repeat han in the second clause?

Yes. Norwegian requires a subject in finite clauses, including after som om: ... som om han visste .... You can’t drop the subject.

Can I use som without om, like Han snakker som han visste svaret?

Not in standard Norwegian. For "as if," use som om. Bare som means "as/like" or works as a relative marker, but it doesn’t carry the "as if" meaning here.

Can I use a modal like skulle or ville to make it more hypothetical?

Yes, but it adds nuance:

Han snakker som om han skulle vite svaret can sound more formal/bookish, sometimes implying "as if he were supposed to know the answer," or simply intensifying unreality.
Han snakker som om han skulle ha visst svaret pushes it further ("as if he had known the answer") and is often rhetorical. The plain visste is most common.

Is mixing present in the main clause and past in the som om clause normal?

Yes. The past here signals unreality, not past time. So Han snakker ... som om han visste ... is standard.

Can I front the som om clause?

Grammatically yes, but it’s marked and less natural in everyday speech:

Som om han visste svaret, snakker han. If you do this, remember inversion in the main clause (snakker han).

Does visst mean the same as visste?

No. visst is the past participle of vite ("known") and also an adverb meaning "certainly/apparently" (e.g., Han kommer visst = "apparently he’s coming"). visste is the preterite "knew."

Are there common alternatives to snakker ... som om?

Yes:

Han oppfører seg som om ... ("acts as if ...")
Det høres ut som om ... ("it sounds as if ...")
Det ser ut som om ... ("it looks as if ...") Use preterite for the counterfactual reading.

Could the main verb also be in the past?

Yes: Han snakket som om han visste svaret. If you need a "before-that-past" time, you can use past perfect: Han snakket som om han hadde visst svaret, but this is rarer and often heavier; visste usually suffices.

Any quick pronunciation tips for the tricky parts?

visste has a short vowel and a strong double-s; viste has a longer vowel with single s.
som om often runs together in natural speech.
The final -et in svaret is reduced in many dialects, but keep it in careful speech.