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.
Read also
Verbs in Past Tense
Learn how Norwegian verbs are conjugated in the past tense — weak and strong verbs.…
Verbs in Present Tense
Learn how Norwegian verbs are conjugated in the present tense. Simple and systematic.…
Plural of Nouns
Learn how to form the plural in Norwegian — the rules and the most common exceptions.…