Norwegian question word order

In a neutral direct yes/no question, the finite verb comes first. The finite verb is the verb marked for tense. A modal such as kan (can), skal (shall/will), or må (must) can be the finite verb.

When hva (what), hvor (where), når (when), or a complete question phrase is not the subject, the finite verb follows that phrase and comes before the subject.

Several words can form a single first-position phrase. In Hvor mange språk snakker han? (“How many languages does he speak?”), hvor mange språk is one phrase.

The “question word + verb + subject” pattern does not apply when the question word or phrase already is the subject. The verb follows it directly, with no additional subject inserted.

Compare Hvem ringer du? (“Who are you calling?”) and Hvem ringer? (“Who is calling?”). In the first,du is the subject and hvem the object. In the second, hvem is the subject.

With an unstressed pronoun, ikke normally follows the subject in a neutral question: Kan du ikke komme? (“Can’t you come?”). The sentence adverbs aldri(never) and alltid (always) follow the same pattern in these examples.

With a name or full noun subject, Har ikke bussen kommet ennå? and Skal ikke Nora være med? are natural neutral orders in the contexts used by the game.

An indirect question is embedded inside a larger sentence. In the embedded clause, the subject comes before the verb. Compare the direct question Når går bussen? with the embedded clause in Vet du når bussen går?

Embedded yes/no questions can use om (if/whether) or hvorvidt (whether): Vet hun om butikken er åpen? When hvem is the subject of the embedded question, use som: Vet du hvem som kommer?