Grammar notes
SHORT ANSWERS
Sometimes, a short answer is all you need.
In English you might answer questions like this: Yes, I have. No, I haven’t. Yes, I do. No, I don’t, etc.
In Norwegian you make short answers in the following ways:
1) To answer questions starting with HAR (has/have) and ER (am/is/are) you repeat HAR and ER in the answer:
| Har du ei fiskestang? | Do you have a fishing rod? |
| Ja, det har jeg. Nei, det har jeg ikke. | Yes, I have. No, I haven’t. |
NB:
You always start your short answer with JA/NEI, comma and then DET – VERB – SUBJECT
| Er du norsk? | Are you Norwegian? |
| Ja, det er jeg. Nei, det er jeg ikke. | Yes, I am. No, I’m not. |
NB:
The negation IKKE is placed at the end of the short answer.
2) To answer questions starting with modal verbs you use the modal verb in the answer:
| Kan vi gå på kino? | Can we go to the cinema? |
| Ja, det kan vi. Nei, det kan vi ikke. | Yes, we can. No, we can’t. |
| Skal du gå på konserten? | Are you going to the concert? |
| Ja, det skal jeg. Nei, det skal jeg ikke. | Yes, I am. No, I’m not. |
| Vil du se byen? | Do you want to see the city? |
| Ja, det vil jeg. Nei, det vil jeg ikke. | Yes, I do. No, I don’t. |
| Må du ringe ham? | Do you have to call him? |
| Ja, det må jeg. Nei, det må jeg ikke. | Yes, I do. No, I don’t. |
3) When the questions contain other verbs than the ones mentioned in 1) and 2) you use GJØR (do/does) in your answer:
| Liker du opera? | Do you like opera? |
| Ja, det gjør jeg. Nei, det gjør jeg ikke. | Yes, I do. No, I don’t. |
| Leser du ei bok? | Are you reading a book? |
| Ja, det gjør jeg. Nei, det gjør jeg ikke. | Yes, I am. No, I’m not. |
| Snakker du norsk? | Do you speak Norwegian? |
| Ja, det gjør jeg. Nei, det gjør jeg ikke. | Yes, I do. No, I don’t. |
Note the following:
When the subject in the questions is det (it) or den (it) the verb in the short answer is followed by det or den:
| Er det kaldt? | Is it cold? |
| Ja, det er det. Nei, det er det ikke. | Yes, it is. No, it isn’t. |
| Er den ny? | Is it new? |
| Ja, det er den. Nei, det er den ikke. | Yes, it is. No, it isn’t. |
JA – JO
When a question is negative, JO is used instead of ja for positive answers:
| Kommer du ikke fra Oslo? | Are you not from Oslo? |
| Jo, det gjør jeg. | Yes, I am. |
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