Latest / Learn Norwegian with Fexingo / Norwegian Verb Å Spørre - to Ask
Transcript
- Lucas: Velkommen tilbake, Luna. Ready for another tiny Norwegian adventure? Luna: So ready. But first, I have to say, last week I tried to 'kaste' a ball to my dog and I shouted 'kast ballen' — and she just stared at me. I think she's learning Norwegian faster than I am. Lucas: That's actually perfect, because today's verb is all about getting answers. We're tackling 'å spørre' — to ask. Luna: Oh, to ask! I do that all the time. Like, 'can you ask?' — that's 'kan du spørre?' right? Lucas: Exactly right. 'å spørre' — to ask. Let's start slow. Repeat after me: å spørre. Luna: å spørre. Lucas: Å spørre. And now in the present tense: jeg spør — I ask. Luna: jeg spør. That sounds almost like 'spur' in English, but with a roll. Lucas: Yeah, it's a soft sound. Jeg spør. Try it once more. Luna: jeg spør. Lucas: Perfect. And if you want to ask someone else: kan du spørre? — can you ask? Luna: kan du spørre? Can you ask? That's handy for when I want my friend to ask the waiter for another coffee. Lucas: Exactly. And you can also say 'spørre om noe' — to ask about something. Like 'jeg spør om veien' — I ask about the way. Luna: Oh, so 'spørre om noe' means to ask about something. So I could say 'jeg spør om maten' — I ask about the food. Lucas: You got it. And a slightly more formal way: 'spørre en person' — to ask a person. Like 'jeg spør en venn' — I ask a friend. Luna: jeg spør en venn. I ask a friend. That's a nice little sentence. Lucas: Let's do a tiny scene. Imagine you're at a café, and you want to ask the barista about the pastry. What do you say? Luna: I'd say 'kan du spørre?' but wait, that's for asking someone else. Hmm. I think I'd just say 'jeg spør om kaken' — I ask about the cake. Lucas: Perfect. And if you want to be more direct: 'kan jeg spørre?' — can I ask? Luna: Oh, 'kan jeg spørre?' That's like a polite way to start a question. 'Kan jeg spørre om noe?' — can I ask about something? Lucas: Exactly. You're getting the hang of it. Let's practice all three phrases again: 'å spørre', 'jeg spør', 'kan du spørre?' Luna: å spørre, jeg spør, kan du spørre? Perfect. And then 'spørre om noe' and 'spørre en person'. Lucas: You've got it. Now, let me tell you a tiny story. Yesterday, I was at the train station and I needed to know which platform. So I said to a stranger: 'kan jeg spørre deg?' — can I ask you? Luna: Oh, that's a good one! 'kan jeg spørre deg?' Can I ask you? And then you ask your question. So it's like a polite opener. Lucas: Exactly. So you have the tools. Let's review what we have: 'å spørre' — to ask, 'jeg spør' — I ask, 'kan du spørre?' — can you ask, 'spørre om noe' — to ask about something, 'spørre en person' — to ask a person, and 'kan jeg spørre?' — can I ask? Luna: That's a lot, but it feels manageable. I'm going to try to use 'å spørre' today. Maybe I'll ask my neighbor about the weather. Lucas: That's the spirit. And remember, the more you use it, the more natural it becomes. Luna: Speaking of using things, you know what I use every day? This podcast. It's genuinely helped me get better at Norwegian. Lucas: That's great to hear. And if you feel the same, a couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, it's a small thing that makes a real difference. And it keeps the show ad-free and fun. Lucas: Exactly. But let's get back to asking. Can you ask me something in Norwegian? Luna: Kan jeg spørre deg om noe? — Can I ask you about something? Lucas: Of course. What is it? Luna: Hmm, I think I need to practice 'spørre en person'. So I'll ask: 'jeg spør en venn om hjelp' — I ask a friend for help. Lucas: Nice. That's a great sentence. Let's do one more round of repetition, then we'll wrap up. Luna: Sure. So we have 'å spørre', 'jeg spør', 'kan du spørre?', 'spørre om noe', 'spørre en person', and 'kan jeg spørre?'. Lucas: Perfect. And remember, tomorrow when you're out and about, try to ask something in Norwegian. Even simple things are progress. Luna: I will. I'll ask my barista 'kan jeg spørre om melken?' — can I ask about the milk? Because they always have oat milk, and I want to know if it's fresh. Lucas: There you go. And that's all for today. Practice these phrases till we chat again, and you'll be asking questions like a pro. Luna: Yes, see you next time. Ha det bra!