Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Norwegian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Hva er vitsen?
Does vitsen mean “joke” or “point” here?
Both are possible. In everyday use, Hva er vitsen? most often means What’s the point? / What’s the use? In a comedy context, it can also mean What’s the joke? The noun vits means both “joke” and “point” (as in “point of doing this”), and context tells you which one is intended.
Why is the verb er in second position (before vitsen)?
Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb goes in the second position. In a wh-question, the question word (Hva) comes first, the verb (er) comes second, and the subject or complement (vitsen) follows: Hva – er – vitsen?
Why is it vitsen (definite) and not just vits?
You normally use the definite form because you’re referring to “the point/joke (of this thing we’re talking about).” So you say vitsen = “the point/the joke.” The indefinite vits shows up in other patterns, especially negatives like Det er ingen vits (i) å… = “There’s no point in …”
How do I say “What’s the point of …” with an object or an action?
Use med:
- With a noun: Hva er vitsen med dette? = What’s the point of this?
- With an action: Hva er vitsen med å gjøre det? = What’s the point of doing that?