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🔁 Norwegian grammar: How often? Adverbs of frequency — rule, table and examples
Level A2
The rule
Frequency adverbs say how often something happens: alltid, ofte, vanligvis, av og til, noen ganger, sjelden, nesten aldri, aldri. In a main clause they come right after the finite verb: “Jeg drikker alltid kaffe”. If the sentence starts with a time word, the verb stays in second place and the subject follows it: “Om morgenen drikker jeg alltid kaffe”. In a subordinate clause (at, fordi, når) the adverb comes before the verb: “…fordi jeg aldri drikker kaffe”. Ask with “Hvor ofte…?” and answer “hver dag”, “en gang i uka”, “to ganger i måneden”.
Table
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| alltid / ofte / vanligvis | always / often / usually |
| av og til / noen ganger / sjelden / nesten aldri / aldri | now and then / sometimes / rarely / hardly ever / never |
| Jeg drikker alltid kaffe. | I always drink coffee. (after the verb) |
| Om morgenen drikker jeg alltid kaffe. | In the morning I always drink coffee. (verb second) |
| … fordi jeg aldri drikker kaffe. | … because I never drink coffee. (before the verb) |
| Hvor ofte? – Hver dag / en gang i uka / to ganger i måneden | How often? – Every day / once a week / twice a month |
Examples
- Jeg drikker alltid kaffe om morgenen.
I always drink coffee in the morning. - Om kvelden leser Mia ofte en bok.
In the evening Mia often reads a book. - Leo er sliten fordi han sjelden sover nok.
Leo is tired because he rarely gets enough sleep. - Vi spiser av og til på restaurant.
We sometimes eat at a restaurant. - Ole kommer aldri for sent.
Ole is never late. - Hvor ofte trener du? – Tre ganger i uka.
How often do you work out? – Three times a week.
Try it yourself
1. Jeg tar ____ bussen til jobb. (= hver eneste dag)
aldri · alltid · nesten aldri · sjelden
Show the answer
Answer: alltid
2. Leo spiser ____ fisk. Han liker det ikke. (0 %)
aldri · alltid · ofte · vanligvis
Show the answer
Answer: aldri
3. Vi går ____ på kino, kanskje en gang i året.
alltid · ofte · sjelden · vanligvis
Show the answer
Answer: sjelden
4. Mia trener ____ – fire ganger i uka.
aldri · nesten aldri · ofte · sjelden
Show the answer
Answer: ofte
5. Musa står ____ opp klokka seks, men i helga sover han lenge.
aldri · nesten aldri · sjelden · vanligvis
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Answer: vanligvis
6. Jeg ____ kaffe om morgenen. (alltid / drikke)
alltid drikke · alltid drikker · drikke alltid · drikker alltid
Show the answer
Answer: drikker alltid
More grammar topics
FAQ
How does “How often? Adverbs of frequency” work in Norwegian?
Frequency adverbs say how often something happens: alltid, ofte, vanligvis, av og til, noen ganger, sjelden, nesten aldri, aldri. In a main clause they come right after the finite verb: “Jeg drikker alltid kaffe”. If the sentence starts with a time word, the verb stays in second place and the subject follows it: “Om morgenen drikker jeg alltid kaffe”. In a subordinate clause (at, fordi, når) the adverb comes before the verb: “…fordi jeg aldri drikker kaffe”. Ask with “Hvor ofte…?” and answer “hver dag”, “en gang i uka”, “to ganger i måneden”.
How can I practise “How often? Adverbs of frequency”?
Open the exercise in Komiks·Lab: 20 fill-in-the-gap tasks with instant feedback, and comics where the rule is used in real dialogues.