Language/Norwegian-bokmal/Grammar/Indirect-speech

Norwegian Bokmål → Grammar → Indirect speech

As a Norwegian Bokmål language teacher with 20 years of experience, I am excited to introduce you to the advanced grammar and syntax of Norwegian Bokmål. In this lesson, we will explore the concept of indirect speech in Norwegian Bokmål.

Indirect speech, also known as reported speech, is a way of expressing what someone said without using their exact words. It is a common feature in both written and spoken Norwegian Bokmål.

Here is an example of direct speech and indirect speech to help you understand the concept better:

• Direct speech:

  "Jeg er sulten," said Maria.

• Indirect speech:

  Maria sa at hun var sulten. (Maria said that she was hungry.)

Notice that the word order changes when the statement is transformed from direct to indirect speech, and that the verb "to be" is conjugated based on the subject's gender and number. In the example above, "er" is changed to "var" to reflect Maria's statement in the past tense.

Let's dive into the rules and nuances of indirect speech in Norwegian Bokmål.

With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: Plurals & Nouns and adjectives.

Reporting verbs

To express indirect speech in Norwegian Bokmål, we use reporting verbs such as "si" (say), "tro" (think), "vite" (know), "fortelle" (tell), "huske" (remember), etc. These reporting verbs are always followed by "at" in Norwegian Bokmål, which means "that" in English.

si

Here is an example of a sentence in indirect speech using "si":

Norwegian Bokmål	Pronunciation	English Translation
Kristian sa at han ville komme hjem senere.	Kristian sa æt han vee-luh kuh-meh ho-em seh-nuh-ruh.	Kristian said that he would come home later.

tro

And here is an example using "tro":

Norwegian Bokmål	Pronunciation	English Translation
Jeg tror at hun er hjemme nå.	Yei tro-r æt hoon ær heh-meh no.	I think that she is home now.

Changing verb tenses in indirect speech

As we saw in the example at the beginning of the lesson, when transforming a statement from direct to indirect speech, we may need to change the tense of the verb used in the original statement.

Here's a general overview of the rules for tense changes when using indirect speech in Norwegian Bokmål:

direct statement is in present tense

If the direct statement is in present tense, there is no need to change the tense when reporting it indirectly. Example:

Norwegian Bokmål	Pronunciation	English Translation
Ole sier: "Jeg skal reise til USA i morgen."	Oh-leh si-er: "Yei skal rei-se teel USA i mor-gen."	Ole says, "I'm going to travel to the USA tomorrow."
Ole sier at han skal reise til USA i morgen.	Oh-leh si-er æt hahn skal rei-se teel USA i mor-gen.	Ole says that he is going to travel to the USA tomorrow.

direct statement is in past tense

If the direct statement is in past tense, the tense is usually shifted one step back, and auxiliary verbs like "had" and "would" are used accordingly. Example:

Norwegian Bokmål	Pronunciation	English Translation
Anne sa: "Jeg spiste frokost for en halvtime siden."	Ahn-neh sa æt yei spees-te fro-kohst fohr en hahlv-tee-meh si-den.	Anne said, "I had breakfast half an hour ago."
Anne sa at hun hadde spist frokost for en halvtime siden.	Ahn-neh sa æt hoon hah-deh spees-t fro-kohst fohr en hahlv-tee-meh si-den.	Anne said that she had had breakfast half an hour ago.

direct statement is in future tense

If the direct statement is in future tense, the tense may change to present or past tense in the indirect speech depending on the context. Example:

Norwegian Bokmål	Pronunciation	English Translation
Mari sier: "Jeg skal møte deg senere."	Mah-ri si-er: "Yei skal mø-teh dei seh-nuh-ruh."	Mari says, "I'm going to meet you later."
Mari sier at hun skal møte deg senere.	Mah-ri si-er æt hoon skal mø-teh dei seh-nuh-ruh.	Mari says that she is going to meet you later.

In addition to these rules, consider the context and the relationship between the events to determine whether any other changes to the verb tense or sentence structure are needed for accurate indirect speech reporting in Norwegian Bokmål.

Using special verbs in indirect speech

There are two verbs that are commonly used in indirect or reported speech in Norwegian Bokmål, "synes" (seems) and "vet" (know). These verbs take an infinitive construction similar to English:

Synes + infinitive

Norwegian Bokmål	Pronunciation	English Translation
Anne sa: "Jeg synes det er vanskelig å lære norsk."	Ahn-neh sa yei suh-ness deh ær vahn-ske-lig oh lor-ruh nohrrsk.	Anne said, "I think it is difficult to learn Norwegian."
Anne sa at hun syntes det var vanskelig å lære norsk.	Ahn-neh sa æt hoon suhntess deh vahr vahn-ske-lig oh lor-ruh nohrrsk.	Anne said that she thought it was difficult to learn Norwegian.

Vet + infinitive

Norwegian Bokmål	Pronunciation	English Translation
Pia sa: "Jeg vet ikke hva jeg skal gjøre."	Pia sa yei vet eek-keh vah yei skal jør-ruh.	Pia said, "I don't know what to do."
Pia sa at hun ikke visste hva hun skulle gjøre.	Pia sa æt hoon eek-keh veess-teh vah hoon skulle jør-ruh.	Pia said that she didn't know what to do.

Conclusion

Indirect speech is a useful tool to have in your Norwegian Bokmål language arsenal. It is a common feature in Norwegian Bokmål literature, journalism, and everyday conversation. Remember the rules about tense changes and using reporting verbs properly. Practice using indirect speech by reporting statements in indirect speech from news articles, books, or movies you enjoy.

I hope this lesson has been helpful in expanding your Norwegian Bokmål grammar and syntax knowledge. Stay tuned for more advanced lessons in the future. Lykke til! (Good luck!)

Finished this lesson? Check out these related lessons: How to Use Have & Past Tense.

Other Lessons

• How to Use Have
• Basic sentence structure
• Infinitive and present participle forms
• Advanced sentence structure and syntax
• Nouns
• How to Use Be
• Gender
• Academic writing and research skills
• Past tense verbs