FORDI – DERFOR – SÅ
As you probably noticed from this week’s texts, the use of FORDI, DERFOR and SÅ might seem a bit confusing.
Let’s try to simplify this!
FORDI
Fordi indicates reason.
It is a subordinating conjunction and starts a subordinate clause.
You might review our video about subordinates again, if you want.
Here are some examples:
| Han rydder fordi dokka liker å ha det ryddig. | He cleans up because the doll likes it to be tidy. |
| Barna klapper fordi de liker forestillingen. | The children clap their hands because they like the show. |
OR
| Fordi dokka liker å ha det ryddig, rydder han. | Because the doll likes it to be tidy, he cleans up. |
| Fordi de liker forestillingen, klapper barna. | Because they like the show, the children clap their hands. |
DERFOR
Derfor indicates consequence and is an adverb.
Derfor is followed by the verb and then the subject (inversion):
| Dokka liker å ha det ryddig. Derfor rydder han. | The doll likes it to be tidy. Therefore, he cleans up. |
| Barna liker forestillingen. Derfor klapper de. | The children like the show. Therefore, they clap their hands. |
SÅ
Different types of words sometimes have the same form and are, therefore, a bit confusing. The form SÅ is one of these:
1) SÅ = then, afterwards
This type of SÅ is an adverb.
| Etter lunsj dro vi til Akershus festning. Så gikk vi til Rådhuset. | After lunch we went to Akershus fortress. Then we went to the City Hall. |
2) SÅ = so, very
This type of SÅ is also an adverb. It is normally placed in front of adjectives:
| Det var så interessant på Vikingskipshuset. | It was so interesting at the Viking Ship Museum. |
3) SÅ = so, for that reason
This type of SÅ is a conjunction.
The conjunction is followed by a main clause:
| Peter har ikke møtt Evas familie før, så han er litt nervøs. | Peter has not met Eva’s family before, so he is a bit nervous. |
4) SÅ = saw
SÅ can also be the past tense of the verb å se (to see):
| Vi så et stykke av Henrik Ibsen. | We saw a play by Henrik Ibsen. |
We hope this was helpful!
But the best way to learn is to try to come up with some sentences on your own.
Play around with the language and see what happens!
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