Recommended resources
The freely available resources this lesson will direct you to.
Hei! Last time, you used først, så and til slutt to help someone follow what happened. Now you’ll use a similar kind of structure to help someone understand what you think and why. In everyday conversation, two clear reasons are usually more useful than a long, carefully qualified argument.
By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to give a short opinion in Norwegian, support it with two distinct reasons, and say it in a way that sounds like a response to another person—not a prepared speech. Allow about 35–40 minutes, including time to read, listen and say the examples aloud.
State the opinion before explaining it
Imagine someone asks where you should meet. You could answer På kafeen ved stasjonen (“At the café by the station”), but that names a place without saying what you think of the choice. A fuller answer begins:
Jeg synes vi bør møtes på kafeen ved stasjonen.
I think we should meet at the café by the station.
Jeg synes … is a useful everyday way to introduce a personal judgment. Vi bør … means “we should …”. Together, they let you make a suggestion without sounding as though you are issuing an instruction.
For a different kind of opinion, you can say Jeg foretrekker toget (“I prefer the train”) or Jeg mener at toget er et godt valg (“I think the train is a good choice”). You do not need all three forms in one conversation. Choose one clear position, then spend your effort on explaining it.
A helpful test is whether your listener can identify the choice you are supporting. Jeg synes det er bra (“I think it’s good”) may be enough if the subject is obvious. If it is not, name it: Jeg synes denne kafeen er et godt sted å møtes (“I think this café is a good place to meet”).
Connect an opinion to a reason
The most direct way to give a reason is fordi (“because”):
Jeg liker denne kafeen fordi den er rolig.
I like this café because it is quiet.
The part before fordi gives your view; the part after it explains why. A question beginning Hvorfor …? (“Why …?”) invites exactly this kind of answer.
Watch this short explanation from Norsklærer Karense. It contrasts fordi, which introduces a reason, with derfor (“therefore”), which introduces a result.
Learn Norwegian: How to use the words FORDI and DERFOR.
“Learn Norwegian: How to use the words FORDI and DERFOR,” from Norsklærer Karense, gives you a spoken explanation of a distinction that is easy to reverse.
Watch fordi for the pattern that states something and then gives its reason. Continue with derfor to hear how the speaker instead starts with a reason and states its result. Focus on the direction of the explanation rather than trying to memorise every example.
The distinction looks like this in an everyday decision:
Vi tar toget fordi det er enklere.
We’re taking the train because it’s easier.Toget er enklere. Derfor tar vi toget.
The train is easier. Therefore we’re taking it.
Notice derfor tar vi, with the verb before the subject. This is the same word-order pattern you met with I går gikk jeg … in the previous lesson. Fordi works differently: it introduces the reason as part of the sentence. For giving an opinion, opinion + fordi + reason is the easiest pattern to reach for first.
The following short grammar page from NTNU’s course on FutureLearn confirms both patterns. You only need its FORDI and DERFOR sections here.
Read “FORDI – DERFOR – SÅ,” from NTNU’s Norwegian course on FutureLearn, to check how a reason differs from a consequence and where the verb goes after derfor.
Under the heading “FORDI,” begin where the page says that fordi indicates a reason. Read the examples through the translation of the final example in that subsection. Notice that the page also shows a sentence beginning with fordi; you do not need to use that arrangement yet. Then, under “DERFOR,” read from its explanation of consequence through the examples. Check the verb–subject order after derfor. You can stop before “SÅ.”
One word-order detail is worth noticing when you make your own fordi sentences. In a simple reason, fordi den er rolig has the subject den before the verb er. If you add ikke (“not”), it normally comes before that verb: fordi den ikke er dyr (“because it isn’t expensive”). Keep the first reason simple while this pattern becomes familiar.
Make the second reason add something new
Suppose your opinion is:
Jeg synes vi bør møtes på kafeen ved stasjonen.
I think we should meet at the café by the station.
You might support it like this:
For det første er den lett å finne. For det andre er det rolig der.
First, it’s easy to find. Second, it’s quiet there.
These are two different reasons. One concerns finding the meeting place; the other concerns being able to talk once you arrive. Repeating den er lett å finne in different words would make the answer longer without making the case stronger.
For det første and for det andre mean “firstly” and “secondly.” Unlike først and så in your account of past events, they list reasons, not events in time. The familiar verb-order rule still applies: For det første er den …, not For det første den er ….
In a relaxed conversation, you can often make the same point more naturally with fordi and dessuten (“besides” or “also”):
Jeg synes vi bør møtes på kafeen ved stasjonen fordi den er lett å finne. Dessuten er det rolig der.
I think we should meet at the café by the station because it’s easy to find. Besides, it’s quiet there.
Here, dessuten opens the second sentence, so the verb follows it: Dessuten er det … You now have two useful ways to organise the same thought. For det første … For det andre … makes the count especially clear; fordi … Dessuten … often fits better into a brief exchange.
Say it as part of a conversation
An opinion does not have to arrive all at once. A listener may ask for the reasons after hearing your choice:
Hvor skal vi møtes?
Where should we meet?Jeg synes vi bør møtes på kafeen ved stasjonen.
I think we should meet at the café by the station.Hvorfor der?
Why there?Fordi den er lett å finne. Dessuten er det rolig der.
Because it’s easy to find. Besides, it’s quiet there.
Fordi den er lett å finne is a natural short answer to Hvorfor der? In a full sentence, you can attach the same reason to your opinion: Jeg synes vi bør møtes der fordi den er lett å finne.
The pattern also works when talking about interests. For example:
Jeg liker denne filmen fordi historien er spennende. Dessuten spiller skuespillerne godt.
I like this film because the story is exciting. Besides, the actors perform well.
The two reasons address different features of the film. That matters more than choosing impressive vocabulary. If you cannot recall skuespillerne in conversation, a simpler second reason—Dessuten er den morsom (“Besides, it’s funny”)—keeps your explanation moving.
For a few minutes of spoken rehearsal, use a modest claim you might genuinely make: a preferred place to meet, a film you like, or a way to travel. Say the opinion first. Pause just long enough to find one reason, then add a different reason. Aim to make the relationship between the sentences audible; you do not need to speak quickly.
Key takeaways
To explain an opinion, state your position clearly with a form such as jeg synes … or jeg foretrekker …. Give a reason with fordi, then add a distinct second reason with dessuten—or number the reasons with for det første and for det andre. When dessuten, derfor or for det første opens a main clause, the verb comes before the subject.
You can now do more than answer “yes” or name a preference: you can help someone understand the thinking behind your choice. Next, you’ll use that ability while handling a conversation that takes an unexpected turn.