hvordan

Hvordan is a Danish and Norwegian interrogative adverb meaning “how.” It is used to ask about the manner, method, degree, or condition of something, and it can introduce standalone questions or embedded clauses.

In Danish and Norwegian, hvordan is a core word for forming questions about process or state. It often appears at the beginning of a question, as in Danish: Hvordan gør man det? and Norwegian: Hvordan gjør man det? It can also introduce indirect questions within a sentence: Danish Jeg ved ikke, hvordan jeg skal gøre det. Norwegian Jeg vet ikke hvordan jeg skal gjøre det. In both languages the subordinate clause follows the standard verb order, with the finite verb placed before the infinitive in most cases.

Grammatical notes: hvodan functions as an interrogative adverb that governs a following clause. In Danish, the clause after hvodan typically contains a subject and a finite verb (man skal), followed by an infinitive verb (gøre). In Norwegian Bokmål, the structure is similar (jeg skal gjøre det). The exact spelling of the surrounding verbs varies between Danish and Norwegian due to their separate verbal systems, but the basic pattern—question word, subject, finite verb, then infinitive—remains common.

Examples:

- Danish: Hvordan gør man det? Jeg ved ikke, hvordan jeg skal gøre det.

- Norwegian: Hvordan gjør man det? Jeg vet ikke hvordan jeg skal gjøre det.

Translations: hvodan corresponds to English “how.” It is distinct from related question words for other senses (hvor for “where,” hva/hvad for “what”). In idiomatic use, phrases like hvordan i al verden express emphasis or surprise.