Lesson goal
In this lesson, you will learn to recognize a subordinate clause and build the correct word order in it. The main task is to remember that in a subordinate clause, the subject usually comes before the verb, and negation is placed before the finite verb.
New vocabulary
at — that
fordi — because
hvis — if
når — when
selv om — although
tror — thinks, believes
vet — knows
håper — hopes
Useful phrases
Jeg tror at han kommer i morgen. — I think that he will come tomorrow.
Hun sier at hun ikke har tid. — She says that she does not have time.
Vi blir hjemme hvis det regner. — We will stay home if it rains.
Jeg vet at dere jobber mye. — I know that you work a lot.
Jeg håper at du kommer. — I hope that you will come.
Han blir hjemme fordi han er syk. — He stays home because he is sick.
Når jeg har tid, ringer jeg deg. — When I have time, I call you.
Selv om hun er trøtt, jobber hun videre. — Although she is tired, she continues working.
Grammar
In a subordinate clause, word order is different from the main clause. After the conjunctions at, fordi, hvis, når, selv om, the subject usually comes first, then the verb: at han kommer, hvis det regner. This is the main difference from the main clause with the V2 rule. If there is negation in the subordinate clause, it is placed before the finite verb: at hun ikke har tid, fordi han ikke kommer. The pattern is simple: conjunction + subject + negation/adverb + verb + the rest. Compare: in the main clause Hun kommer ikke, but in the subordinate clause at hun ikke kommer. If the subordinate clause comes first, the main clause keeps the usual main clause word order: Hvis det regner, blir vi hjemme.
Examples
Jeg tror at han kommer i morgen. — I think that he will come tomorrow.
Hun sier at hun ikke har tid. — She says that she does not have time.
Jeg vet at dere jobber mye. — I know that you work a lot.
Vi blir hjemme hvis det regner. — We will stay home if it rains.
Hvis det ikke regner, går vi ut. — If it does not rain, we will go out.
Han er glad fordi barna kommer på besøk. — He is happy because the children are coming to visit.
Jeg ringer deg når jeg kommer hjem. — I will call you when I get home.
Selv om hun ikke har mye tid, hjelper hun oss. — Although she does not have much time, she helps us.
De spør om du vet at møtet begynner klokka åtte. — They ask whether you know that the meeting starts at eight o’clock.
Jeg håper at vi ikke kommer for sent. — I hope that we will not arrive too late.