# Norwegian: How much is it?



## jm88

Hei!

Når man skal spørre prisen for en vare, kan man si "hvor mye er det" el. "Hvor mye er det" som betyr "how much is it" på engelsk?

Takk på forhånd.


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## bicontinental

jm88 said:


> Hei!
> 
> Når man skal spørre prisen for en vare, kan man si "hvor mye er det" el. "Hvor mye er det" som betyr "how much is it" på engelsk?
> 
> Takk på forhånd.



Hi jm88,
You'd want to use 'koster', i.e. _hvor mye koster det?, hva koster det?_
Bic.


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## vthebee

Why is it _hvor_ mye koster det and not _hvordan_? Is this just a quirk in Norwegian since I thought 'hvor' meant where?


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## NorwegianNYC

'hvor' = 'how' when in front of adjectives and adverbs. Compare to English 'how'. When used in front of a verb ("how do you say 'fish' in Norwegian?") it means 'how', i.e. method or procedure. When in front of a quantifier (etc.) ("how much is it?") it technically means what, since you are not asking for 'how' to do something.
Same difference in Norwegian, just with 'hvor' instead (hvor + verb = where)(hvor + adj/adv = how)


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## vthebee

Hi NorwegianNYC thanks very much for your reply! It was very useful. So would you only use 'hvordan' as 'how' with a verb, such as in 'hvordan går det'?


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## NorwegianNYC

Yes. 'Hvordan' + verb = how


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## timtfj

It might help to think of the _hvor_ in words like _hvordan_ and _hvorfor_ as being similar to the _where_ in older English words like _wherefore_ (the question word to which _therefore_ is approximately the answer):

*Where*fore? = for what reason? = what for? = *hvor*for?
(And _therefore_ = "for that reason".)

We're actually doing the same thing in English: using *where* or *hvor* both to refer to location and as to form longer question words.

Looking at the Bokmålsordboka entry for *hvordan* I think it works similarly, with its original elements meaning something like "by what action?" or "with what done?"


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## TrampGuy

timtfj said:


> It might help to think of the _hvor_ in words like _hvordan_ and _hvorfor_ as being similar to the _where_ in older English words like _wherefore_ (the question word to which _therefore_ is approximately the answer):
> 
> *Where*fore? = for what reason? = what for? = *hvor*for?
> (And _therefore_ = "for that reason".)
> 
> We're actually doing the same thing in English: using *where* or *hvor* both to refer to location and as to form longer question words.
> 
> Looking at the Bokmålsordboka entry for *hvordan* I think it works similarly, with its original elements meaning something like "by what action?" or "with what done?"



Interesting perspective! When I started learning, it always seemed easier to remember and understand "hvorfor" (for ex) as two words instead of one.
Even now, whenever I hear "hvorfor" (especially out of context) the first thing that comes to mind is "how come" or "how so", and only a millisecond later, my mind adjusts back to "why".
I always wondered if it's just me or if it happens to other English speakers learning Norwegian. 
I never really thought about the older forms of English, actually, I don't believe I ever seen or heard "wherefore" used before - so I guess I learned something new today


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## timtfj

TrampGuy said:


> I never really thought about the older forms of English, actually, I don't believe I ever seen or heard "wherefore" used before - so I guess I learned something new today


"Wherefore art thou Romeo?"---"Why are you Romeo?"
"Let's not go into the whys and wherefores."

I can't think of any other obvious examples though.

I mentally hear _hvorfor_ as "what for?", I think.


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## TrampGuy

timtfj said:


> "Wherefore art thou Romeo?"---"Why are you Romeo?"
> "Let's not go into the whys and wherefores."
> 
> I can't think of any other obvious examples though.
> 
> I mentally hear _hvorfor_ as "what for?", I think.



Yes, I found that exact quote googling "wherefore" right after I read your post - it's the first result 

Makes sense that "what for" is the first thing that comes to mind, but for some reason I get "how come" instead - maybe an indication of my poor English 

On another note, now I'm starting to wonder if there's a specific word for "how come", or is it incorporated in "hvorfor"?


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