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There are three ways you can answer a simple question in Norwegian. I call them “the lazy way”, “the echo way”, and “the smart way”.
By a simple question I mean questions like “Liker du norsk?”.
1. The lazy way
The lazy way to answer a simple question in Norwegian is to just use Ja or Nei.
| Question | Answer |
|
Kan du lese?
Can you read? |
Ja/
Nei.
Yes/No. |
|
Vil du gå på biblioteket?
Will you go to the library? |
Ja/
Nei.
Yes/No. |
|
Har du lånekort?
Do you have a membership card? |
Ja/
Nei.
Yes/No. |
|
Husker du koden?
Do you remember the code? |
Ja/
Nei.
Yes/No. |
2. The echo way
In the echo way, you answer the simple question with a Ja or Nei and reverse the question.
| Question | Answer |
|
Kan du lese?
Can you read? |
Ja, jeg kan lese./
Nei, jeg kan ikke lese.
Yes, I can read./No, I cannot read. |
|
Vil du gå på biblioteket?
Will you go to the library? |
Ja, jeg vil gå på biblioteket./
Nei, jeg vil ikke gå på biblioteket.
Yes, I will go to the library/No, I will not go to the library. |
|
Har du lånekort?
Do you have a membership card? |
Ja, jeg har lånekort./
Nei, jeg har ikke lånekort.
Yes, I have a membership card/No, I do not have a membership card. |
|
Husker du koden?
Do you remember the code? |
Ja, jeg husker koden./
Nei, jeg husker ikke koden.
Yes, I remember the code./No, I do not remember the code. |
3. The smart way
In the smart way, you answer the simple question with a Ja or Nei and I do or I don’t.
| Question | Answer |
|
Kan du lese?
Can you read? |
Ja, det kan jeg./
Nei, det kan jeg ikke.
Yes, I can./No, I can’t. |
|
Vil du gå på biblioteket?
Will you go to the library? |
Ja, det vil jeg./
Nei, det vil jeg ikke.
Yes, I will./No, I will not. |
|
Har du lånekort?
Do you have a membership card? |
Ja, det har jeg./
Nei, det har jeg ikke.
Yes, I have./No, I have not. |
|
Husker du koden?
Do you remember the code? |
Ja, det gjør jeg./
Nei, det gjør jeg ikke.
Yes, I do./No, I don’t. |
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I’m wondering, if “Vil du gå på biblioteket?” means “Do you want to go to the library?” instead of “Will you go…” ?
Thanks for the comment, q3a. I just literally translated the question. Would be good to know if this requires any change.
I think ‘vil du gå’ references ‘desire’ – ‘do you want to’ whereas ‘skal du på’ indicates ‘intention’, but hey I’m new at this 🙂