Signification
Asking about someone's current activity.
Contexte culturel
Norwegians value their 'fritid' (free time). Asking 'Hva gjør du?' on a Monday morning often leads to long descriptions of weekend trips to the mountains. In a flat hierarchy like Norway's, a boss might ask 'Hva gjør du?' to an employee simply to show interest in their workflow, not necessarily to micromanage. On Snapchat, 'Hva gjør du?' is often shortened to 'Hva skjer?' or just a picture with a question mark. It's the most common way to maintain 'social presence'. In fishing communities, 'Hva gjør du?' might specifically refer to whether you are heading out to sea or working on the nets.
The 'På' Trick
Add 'på' at the end ('Hva gjør du på?') to sound 10x more like a native speaker when texting.
No 'Am/Is/Are'
Never say 'Hva er du gjør'. It's the most common mistake for English speakers. Trust the simple present!
Signification
Asking about someone's current activity.
The 'På' Trick
Add 'på' at the end ('Hva gjør du på?') to sound 10x more like a native speaker when texting.
No 'Am/Is/Are'
Never say 'Hva er du gjør'. It's the most common mistake for English speakers. Trust the simple present!
Career Context
If you want to ask what someone does for a living at a party, use 'Hva gjør du til daglig?' to avoid ambiguity.
Directness
Don't be offended if a Norwegian asks you this out of the blue. They aren't being nosy; they're just being direct.
Teste-toi
Complete the question to ask what someone is doing right now.
Hva ____ du nå?
We use the present tense 'gjør' for current actions.
Which sentence is grammatically correct in Norwegian?
Choose one:
Norwegian uses the V2 rule (Verb Second) and does not use 'er' as an auxiliary for 'doing'.
Match the question to the correct context.
1. Hva gjør du nå? | 2. Hva gjør du til daglig? | 3. Hva gjør du i kveld?
'Nå' means now, 'til daglig' means daily (work), and 'i kveld' means tonight (plans).
Fill in the missing line.
A: Hva gjør du? B: Jeg ____ en bok.
The answer should be in the simple present tense to match the question.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Norwegian vs English Present
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesHva ____ du nå?
We use the present tense 'gjør' for current actions.
Choose one:
Norwegian uses the V2 rule (Verb Second) and does not use 'er' as an auxiliary for 'doing'.
1. Hva gjør du nå? | 2. Hva gjør du til daglig? | 3. Hva gjør du i kveld?
'Nå' means now, 'til daglig' means daily (work), and 'i kveld' means tonight (plans).
A: Hva gjør du? B: Jeg ____ en bok.
The answer should be in the simple present tense to match the question.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
12 questionsNo. It specifically asks about your actions. Use 'Hvordan går det?' for 'How are you?'.
Yes, it is neutral and polite enough for a workplace setting.
'Gjør' is for simple actions; 'driver med' is for ongoing activities or hobbies.
Use 'Jeg' + [Verb]. For example: 'Jeg spiser' (I am eating).
Yes, in modern standard Norwegian, the 'h' before 'v' is always silent.
Norwegian uses the simple present tense to cover both habitual and continuous actions.
Yes! 'Dere' is the plural 'you'. Use it when asking a group of people.
Only with friends. 'Hva gjør du?' is safer for people you don't know well.
It's the same as 'Hva gjør du?', just slightly more informal and common in speech.
Change 'gjør' to 'gjorde': 'Hva gjorde du?'.
It depends on your tone. It can mean 'What a surprise to see you!' or 'Why are you here?'.
In Nynorsk, it is 'Kva gjer du?'.
Expressions liées
Hva skjer?
similarWhat's happening? / What's up?
Hva driver du med?
builds onWhat are you occupied with?
Hva jobber du som?
specialized formWhat do you work as?
Hvordan går det?
contrastHow is it going?
Hva gjør du på?
similarWhat are you doing?
