B1
grammatikk
Writing Norwegian — Spelling and Punctuation
Learn basic Norwegian spelling rules — capital letters, punctuation and common mistakes.
Good spelling helps you communicate clearly in Norwegian. Here are the most important rules:
Capital letters — when to use them
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| First word in a sentence | Jeg snakker norsk. — I speak Norwegian. |
| Proper nouns — names of people | Lars og Maria bor i Oslo. |
| Names of countries and cities | Norge, Oslo, Ukraina |
| Nationalities as adjectives — NO capital! | en norsk mann — a Norwegian man (small letter!) |
Common mistakes to avoid
| Wrong | Correct |
|---|---|
| En Norsk mann | En norsk mann |
| jeg er fra ukraine | Jeg er fra Ukraina |
| Jeg heter lars | Jeg heter Lars |
Bokmål and Nynorsk
Norway has two official written standards: bokmål (used by ~85%) and nynorsk (used by ~15%). On learn.dstn.no we teach bokmål — the form you will encounter in Oslo and most Norwegian media.
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