This guide adapts rules and examples from Microsoft’s 55-page Norwegian Bokmål Localization Style Guide (originally written for software/UI localization). The underlying linguistic rules apply universally — to legal contracts, medical documents, marketing copy, and any Norwegian Bokmål translation work. Restructured and reformatted as a general Norwegian Bokmål translator reference by ChatsControl.

Norwegian Bokmål Translation Style Guide — Voice, Word Choice & Common Pitfalls (Legal, Medical, Marketing, IT)¶

TL;DR¶

• Norwegian Bokmål translation across all spheres (legal, medical, marketing, IT) prefers a warm, conversational, scannable register — overly formal or stilted Norwegian damages user engagement and comprehension.
• Use the two-gender system (en/et) consistently; nouns that used to require -a ending now end in -en except for a small list (jenta, kona, kua, hytta, øya, etc.).
• Possessive placement carries meaning: dokumentet ditt (neutral) vs. ditt dokument (contrastive emphasis); omit possessives where English uses them automatically (Åpne dokumentet, not Åpne ditt dokument).
• Use the gender-neutral pronoun hen for generic single-person references; prefer plural noun + de over he/she constructions; the new gender-neutral language applies going forward but legacy material need not be retroactively updated.
• Reference Bokmålsordboka (Kunnskapsforlaget 2005), Vinje’s Skriveregler (9th ed., 2009), Tanums store rettskrivningsordbok (2015), and Språkrådet for normative orthography and terminology.

Register and tone for modern Norwegian Bokmål translation¶

Register is the level of formality, warmth, and conversational ease the target text projects. Modern Norwegian Bokmål readers across consumer-facing spheres expect a register that resembles everyday conversation rather than the formal, technical Norwegian often found in official or commercial content.

Three principles define the modern Norwegian Bokmål register for consumer-facing content:

• Warm and relaxed. Sounds like honest conversation, not a formal notice. Less formal, more grounded — matching how Norwegians actually speak.
• Crisp and clear. Written for scanning first, reading second. Sentences short enough to parse on a phone screen. Simplicity is the default.
• Ready to help. Anticipates what the reader needs and offers it at the right moment, rather than burying it under qualifications.

Why this matters: Stilted Bokmål register damages outcomes across spheres. In marketing copy it kills conversion — readers bounce when text sounds overly bureaucratic. In patient-facing medical materials it reduces comprehension and compliance. In software UI it creates friction at every interaction. In consumer-facing legal documents (terms of service, privacy notices) Norwegian regulators increasingly demand plain language. Only sworn legal translation and pure technical specifications retain the older formal register.

Audience targeting: technical vs. consumer vocabulary¶

The same source text requires different vocabulary depending on who reads the translation. Use technical terms for technical audiences; for consumers use common everyday words. A clinical drug monograph for prescribers uses precise pharmacological terminology; the patient leaflet for the same drug uses everyday Norwegian. A software API reference uses developer jargon; the end-user help article uses plain Bokmål.

This applies in every sphere. Legal translation for corporate counsel uses Latin terminology and procedural shorthand; consumer-facing versions need plain-Norwegian framing. Medical translation for clinicians keeps Greek/Latin nomenclature; for patients it switches to common terms. IT translation uses developer jargon in engineer-facing docs, natural Bokmål in end-user help.

Flexibility: when to translate literally vs. when to rewrite¶

Flexibility is the translator’s discretion to depart from literal source structure when the literal rendering produces unnatural Norwegian. The rule: understand the whole intention of the sentence, paragraph, or page, then rewrite as if composing it yourself for a Norwegian reader. Sometimes you need to remove unnecessary content; sometimes you need to restructure into a verb-driven Norwegian sentence.

Word choice: short and everyday over formal and technical¶

en-US source term	Norwegian word/phrase	Preferred Norwegian word/phrase
compliance	overholdelse	Rewrite using a verb phrase suitable for the context, for example, “er i samsvar med”
enables you to	gir deg muligheten til	gjør at du kan / lar deg / med … kan du
use	anvende	bruke

Why this matters: Source-faithful translation produces translatorese — text that reads as translated. Required in sworn legal translation and certified document translation (birth certificates, court rulings, disputed contracts) where literal accuracy is mandated. Harmful in marketing translation (lost conversion), patient-facing healthcare materials (lost clarity), and software UX (lost engagement). Knowing where the boundary sits is core translator judgment.

Word choice: approved terminology and conversational vocabulary¶

Approved terminology is the project-specific bank of fixed translations for key terms, product names, technical concepts, and recurring phrases. Use approved terminology from Microsoft language resources for key terms, technical terms, and product names. Consistency within the bank matters more than the individual choice.

Short, everyday words are preferred over long formal ones wherever both exist and the audience is non-specialist. Don’t use words that give the text a stilted, antiquated, or overly formal impression when an adequate synonym exists.

Words and phrases to avoid in modern Norwegian Bokmål¶

The Microsoft voice avoids unnecessarily formal tone. The following table lists US English and Norwegian Bokmål words that add formality without adding meaning, along with more common equivalents.

en-US word/phrase to avoid	Preferred en-US word/phrase	Norwegian word/phrase to avoid	Preferred Norwegian word/phrase
attempt	try	forsøke	prøve
execute	run	utføre	kjøre
have an opportunity	can	ha muligheten til	kan
make a recommendation	recommend	gjøre en anbefaling	anbefale
one	you	man	du
refer to	see	referere til	se
subsequent	next	påfølgende	neste
utilize	use	benytte	bruke

Why this matters: These formal forms appear in legal templates and government forms out of institutional habit but feel alien in modern consumer products, patient-facing medical materials, brand-led marketing, and user-friendly software. A privacy policy opening with “Vi forsøker å overholde…” signals bureaucratic distance; “Vi prøver å holde oss til…” reads as the product talking to its user. A patient leaflet using “Du har muligheten til å…” lands differently than “Du kan…” — the second halves the cognitive load. These substitutions are among the highest-leverage edits a Norwegian translator can make.

Word-for-word translation: why direct mapping fails¶

To achieve a fluent translation, avoid word-for-word translation. If text is translated literally without an overall understanding of the paragraph or page, the tone will sound stiff and unnatural. The result may be ridiculous or even turn customers away. Split into different sentences if that helps simplify the translation. Sometimes you can omit descriptors to make the text snappier.

English text	Correct Norwegian translation	Incorrect Norwegian translation
Microsoft Teams allows you to watch your friends while you chat	Med Microsoft Teams kan du se vennene dine mens du chatter	Microsoft Teams lar deg se vennene dine mens du chatter
You must fill in the form before you start	Fyll ut skjemaet før du begynner	Du må fylle inn skjemaet før du starter
Click Start to open the application	Klikk på Start for å åpne programmet	Klikk start for å åpne applikasjonen
This value should be between 0 and 255	Verdien må være mellom 0 og 255	Verdien bør være mellom 0 og 255

Why this matters: Word-for-word translation is the dominant failure mode of inexperienced translators and unedited machine output. In legal contracts it produces clauses that translate every term but obscure who owes what. In medical instructions it separates action from actor in ways that confuse patients. In marketing copy it produces headlines that read as foreign. In software UI it produces labels users hesitate over because the phrasing doesn’t match how they’d describe the action.

Sample voice text¶

Focusing on the user action¶

To make choices and next steps obvious for the user, focus on the action that the user needs to take.

US English	Norwegian target	Explanation
The password isn’t correct, so try again. Passwords are case-sensitive.	Passordet er ikke riktig, så prøv på nytt. Det skilles mellom store og små bokstaver.	Short, friendly message asking the user to try again.
This product key didn’t work. Check it and try again.	Produktnøkkelen virket ikke. Kontroller den, og prøv på nytt.	Casual and polite — asks the user to check and try again.
All ready to go	Alt er klart	Casual short message — setup complete, ready to use.
Would you like to continue?	Vil du fortsette?	Polite second-person question.
Give your PC a name—any name you want. If you want to change the background color, turn high contrast off in PC settings.	Gi PC-en et navn – et hvilket som helst. Hvis du vil endre bakgrunnsfargen, slår du av høykontrast i PC-innstillinger.	Direct address using second-person pronoun.

Explanatory text and providing support¶

US English	Norwegian target	Explanation
The updates are installed, but Windows Setup needs to restart for them to work. After it restarts, we’ll keep going from where we left off.	Oppdateringene er installert, men installasjonsprogrammet for Windows må startes på nytt før de vil fungere. Etter omstarten fortsetter vi der vi slapp.	Reassuring tone — uses “we” for a personal feel.
If you restart now, you and any other people using this PC could lose unsaved work.	Hvis du starter på nytt nå, kan du og alle andre som bruker denne PC-en, miste data som ikke er lagret.	Clear, natural — explains what will happen.
This document will be automatically moved to the right library and folder after you correct invalid or missing properties.	Dette dokumentet flyttes automatisk til riktig bibliotek og mappe når du har rettet ugyldige eller manglende egenskaper.	Informative, direct.
Something bad happened! Unable to locate downloaded files to create your bootable USB flash drive.	Det skjedde noe galt! Finner ikke de nedlastede filene som skal brukes til å lage den oppstartbare USB-stasjonen.	Short sentences inform the user.

Promoting a feature¶

US English	Norwegian target	Explanation
Picture password is a new way to help you protect your touchscreen PC. You choose the picture—and the gestures you use with it—to create a password that’s uniquely yours.	Bildepassord er en ny måte å beskytte berøringsskjerm-PC-en din på. Du velger bildet, og bevegelsene du bruker med det, til å opprette et passord som er unikt for deg.	Parenthetical clarifies requirements.
Let apps give you personalized content based on your PC’s location, name, account picture, and other domain info.	La apper gi deg tilpasset innhold basert på PC-ens plassering, navnet og kontobildet ditt.	Common words (“PC”) sound familiar and friendly.

Providing how-to guidelines¶

US English	Norwegian target	Explanation
To go back and save your work, click Cancel and finish what you need to.	Vil du gå tilbake og lagre arbeidet, klikker du på Avbryt og gjør ferdig det som trengs.	Second person + short, clear direction.
To confirm your current picture password, just watch the replay and trace the example gestures shown on your picture.	Du bekrefter gjeldende bildepassord ved å se på avspillingen og gjenta bevegelsene som vises på bildet.	Simple, natural — only what the user needs to know.
It’s time to enter the product key. When you connect to the internet, we’ll activate Windows for you.	Det er på tide å skrive inn produktnøkkelen. Når du kobler til Internett, aktiverer vi Windows for deg.	Direct second-person tone.

Inclusive language¶

Avoid gender bias¶

Use gender-neutral alternatives for common terms. Avoid compounds containing gender-specific terms.

Use this (target)	Not this (target)	Comments
talsperson	talsmann	Replace mann with person for gender-neutral term.
ombud	ombudsmann	Removing mann altogether makes the term gender neutral and snappier.
leder	formann	Suggested by Språkrådet, carries the same meaning.
forsker, naturviter etc.	vitenskapsmann	Suggested by Språkrådet. More precise terms than the general vitenskapsmann.
administrasjonssjef	rådmann	Suggested by Språkrådet, already in use in legal texts.
statsansatt	tjenestemann	Suggested by Språkrådet, already in use in legal texts.

When presenting generalization, use plural noun forms (e.g., personer, folk, studenter). Don’t use gendered pronouns (hun, henne, han, ham, etc.) in generic references. Instead:

• Rewrite to use the second or third person (du, man, vedkommende, noen).
• Rewrite the sentence to have a plural noun and pronoun.
• Refer to a person’s role (bruker, ansatt, kunde, klient).
• Use person eller lignende.

Use this (English)	Not this (English)	Use this (Norwegian)	Not this (Norwegian)
A user with the appropriate rights can set other users’ passwords.	If the user has the appropriate rights, he can set other users’ passwords.	En bruker med de nødvendige rettighetene kan angi passord for andre brukere.	Dersom brukeren har de nødvendige rettighetene, kan han angi passord for andre brukere.
Developers need access to servers in their development environments, but they don’t need access to the servers in Azure.	A developer needs access to servers in his development environment, but he doesn’t need access to the servers in Azure.	Utviklerne trenger tilgang til serverne i utviklingsmiljøene, men de trenger ikke tilgang til serverne i Azure.	En utvikler trenger tilgang til serverne i utviklingsmiljøene, men han trenger ikke tilgang til serverne i Azure.
To call someone, select the person’s name, select Make a phone call, and then choose the number you’d like to dial.	To call someone, select his name, select Make a phone call, and then select his number.	For å ringe noen må du velge personens navn, velge Ring og deretter velge nummeret du vil ringe.	For å ringe noen må du velge navnet hans, velge Ring og deretter velge nummeret du vil ringe.

The new gender-neutral pronoun hen is acceptable for generic references to a single person (although the genitive form hens is not recommended). It has been included in Norwegian dictionaries and adopted by major IT companies.

When writing about a real person, use the pronouns they prefer — han, hun, hen, de, or another. It’s OK to use gendered pronouns when writing about real people who use those pronouns themselves.

Note: Gender-neutral language should be used in new products and content going forward, but it’s acceptable not to update all existing or legacy material.

Use this (English)	Not this (English)	Use this (Norwegian)	Not this (Norwegian)
expert	guru	ekspert	guru
colleagues; everyone; all	guys; ladies and gentlemen	kolleger, alle sammen	damer og herrer
parent	mother or father	forelder	mor eller far

Accessibility language¶

Focus on people, not disabilities. Don’t use words that imply pity, such as rammet av or lider av. The preferred option is not to mention a disability unless it’s relevant.

Use this (English)	Not this (English)	Use this (Norwegian)	Not this (Norwegian)
person with a disability	handicapped	person med nedsatt funksjonsevne	handikappet, funksjonshemmet
person without a disability	normal person; healthy person	person uten nedsatt funksjonsevne	normal person, frisk person, sunn person

Use generic verbs that apply to all input methods and devices. In procedures and instructions, avoid verbs that don’t make sense with alternative input methods used for accessibility.

Use this (English)	Not this (English)	Use this (Norwegian)	Not this (Norwegian)
Select	Click	Velg	Klikk

Other accessibility principles:

• Keep paragraphs short and sentence structure simple. Use active rather than passive sentence structure. Read text aloud and imagine it spoken by a screen reader.
• Spell out words like pluss and minus. Screen readers can misread text using special characters like + and –.

Why this matters: Inclusive language is enforceable in many legal/employment contexts and increasingly expected in medical/healthcare communication. For marketing translation it directly affects brand perception with disabled audiences. For software UI, screen-reader-friendly phrasing affects whether the product is usable at all for blind users.

Language-specific standards¶

Abbreviations¶

Avoid abbreviations unless absolutely necessary due to lack of space. Abbreviations aren’t normally used in running text — spell out phrases like for eksempel and og så videre. Do use common abbreviations in bracketed text (f.eks. slik som denne osv.).

Use conventional abbreviations when possible, and abbreviate using periods, except for “kr” (kroner) and measuring units (“km”). Try to abbreviate words after a consonant or cluster of consonants (“eks.”, “subst.”). For a full list, see Vinje’s Skriveregler.

Expression	Acceptable abbreviation
for eksempel	f.eks.
cirka	ca.
klokken	kl.

Acronyms¶

Acronyms are words made of the initial letters of major parts of a compound term: WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get), NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). Most acronyms aren’t translatable. DNS, USB, SDK are pronounced letter by letter — these are more correctly called initialisms.

Localized acronyms. When localized, gender is usually masculine. They tend to take the same gender as the last or main word in the acronym, but there’s no strict rule.

en-US source	Norwegian target
PIN code	PIN-kode

Unlocalized acronyms. Acronyms remaining in English should be explained in parentheses the first time they occur, or you can use the full term with the acronym in parentheses. Then use the acronym alone for the rest of the text.

En programinformasjonsfil (PIF) inneholder informasjon om hvordan et program utnytter skjermen, minnet og andre ressurser. PIF-en er lagret …

Write the description in English unless a translation gives the same acronym: PIF (programinformasjonsfil), RAM (Random Access Memory). If a Norwegian term exists, write it followed by the acronym and an English description if necessary: lokalnett (LAN – Local Area Network).

Some English abbreviations aren’t abbreviations in Norwegian:

en-US source	Norwegian target
ASAP	snarest

You don’t have to include the English acronym if it’s unnecessary. Depending on context, “PSTN” could be translated as just “det offentlige telefonnettverket” instead of “PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network – det offentlige telefonnettverket)”.

Case. Acronyms are written in uppercase: PC, WAP.

Inflection. In line with official Norwegian orthography, a hyphen precedes the inflection ending of acronyms: en PC – PC-en – PC-er – PC-ene.

Adjectives¶

According to Bokmålsordboka, some participles ending in -et can have an optional -en or -et ending in masculine/feminine singular — use -et where possible.

Indefinite	Definite
en utskåren rose	den utskårne rosen
et utskåret fat	det utskårne fatet
utskårne roser/fat	de utskårne rosene/fatene

For participles ending in -et, use -ede in definite and plural:

Indefinite	Definite
et koblet dokument	det koblede dokumentet
en skadet fil	den skadede filen
koblede dokumenter	de koblede dokumentene
skadede filer	de skadede filene

This distinguishes participles from true adjectives: “Hakkede tomater” (canned, available) vs. “hakkete tomater” (apparently not yet sold).

Note common errors:

Use	Don’t use
gjenvunne artikler	gjenvunnede artikler

(Irregular verb: vinne, vant.)

Participles in predicative position (after a dependent verb) aren’t inflected for number — use indefinite singular. Adjectives in this position do inflect:

Participles (no inflection)	Adjectives (inflection)
Opplysningene er korrekte. (this is adjective)	De var interessert/begeistret/nedtrykt.
Meldingene er sendt.	De to tallene er tilfeldige.
Filene er tilgjengelige for nedlasting. (this is adjective)

Participles in predicative position aren’t inflected even when combined with adjectives:

Use	Don’t use
Filene er tomme og skrivebeskyttet.	Filene er tomme og skrivebeskyttede.

Adjectives are inflected for number in regular prepositional phrases: De var oppmerksomme på…, De var glade i….

A sentence often sounds better with a relative clause rather than a preceding participle:

English	Translation	Don’t use
Attach certificates with newly added signatures.	Legg ved sertifikater med signaturer som nylig er lagt til.	Legg ved sertifikater med nylig tillagte signaturer.

Possessive adjectives¶

Possessives are far more common in English than in Norwegian. Din, ditt, dine should be omitted from product copy unless needed for clarity. When included, the possessive is placed after the word it modifies to avoid a formal style inappropriate in product content.

English	Translation	Don’t use	Comment
Open your document from your personal folder	Åpne dokumentet fra den personlige mappen din	Åpne ditt dokument fra din personlige mappe	Omit the first possessive. Include the second possessive for clarity.
Contact your system administrator	Kontakt systemansvarlig	Kontakt din systemansvarlige	Omit the possessive.
your favorite tools	favorittverktøyene dine	dine favorittverktøy	Include the possessive for clarity. Place after the word it modifies.

However, place the possessive before the word it modifies if there is an explicit or implicit contrast:

Sentence	Meaning
Hvis du har mottatt et svar på en melding som ikke ble sendt fra din konto, er det to muligheter	Contrasting with other accounts.
Hvis du har mottatt et svar på en melding som ikke ble sendt fra kontoen din, er det to muligheter	Contrast lost.
Hvis du har mottatt et svar på en melding som ikke ble sendt fra kontoen, er det to muligheter	Unidiomatic.
Hvilken erfaring har dere fra min bransje?	Contrasting with other industries.
Hvilken erfaring har dere fra bransjen min?	Contrast lost.

Another example showing how placement changes meaning:

Sentence	Meaning
Advarsel: Denne versjonen er ikke kompatibel med din mobiltelefon.	The version is compatible with some or most phones, just not the specific phone you’re using.
Advarsel: Denne versjonen er ikke kompatibel med mobiltelefonen din.	The version might be compatible with something else you own (computer, car) — not the intended English meaning.

Articles¶

The indefinite article is often omitted in Norwegian. Plural is often used instead.

English	Translation	Don’t use
You have to be logged on as an Administrator	Du må være logget på som administrator	Du må være logget på som en administrator
Formatting a document	Formatere dokumenter	Formatere et dokument
If you have a problem …	Hvis du har problemer …	Hvis du har et problem …

Articles for terms borrowed from English. Consider Motivation (formally motivated features?), Analogy (equivalent Norwegian term whose article could be used?), Frequency (what does technical documentation use?). Consult Microsoft Terminology to avoid inconsistencies.

Indefinite singular	Definite singular	Indefinite plural	Definite plural
en server	serveren	servere	serverne
en chat	chatten	chatter	chattene
en SKU	SKU-en	SKU-ene	SKU-ene

Capitalization¶

In Norwegian, only proper nouns and the first letter of a sentence are capitalized, unless a whole word or sentence is capitalized for emphasis. In headings, menus, and dialog boxes, just the first letter is capitalized. Only use initial capitals for:

• Commands and names of buttons, lists, and items in dialog boxes
• Proper nouns
• The first word of a sentence or a heading
• The first word of a numbered or bulleted list that’s a complete sentence
• After a colon when followed by a complete sentence with subject and verb

In legal documents such as license agreements, do not follow the English-language convention of capitalizing defined terms. If a word must stand out, use bold formatting.

Compounds¶

Compounds should be understandable and clear. Avoid excessively long and complex compounds — hard-to-understand compounds diminish usability.

When creating an ad-hoc compound, follow the same pattern as everyday compounds, particularly regarding the use of linking S or E: if it’s called “muselort, musefelle, musevise”, it should also be “museknapp”, not “musknapp”. The linking letter can change meaning, especially in three-or-more-word compounds: “Dameskinnhanske” means “leather glove for ladies”, while “dameskinnshanske” literally means “glove made from women’s skin” (the linking S implies “dameskinn+hanske” rather than “dame+skinnhanske”). The S sometimes goes silent in speech when the following element starts with S — the correct spelling is “nettstedssamling” because we’d say “nettstedsansvarlig”.

Use a connective hyphen-e where possible:

Use	Don’t use
museknapp	musknapp
hjelpeemne	hjelpemne, Hjelp-emne
tastekombinasjon	tastkombinasjon

In combinations with digits preceding a genitive, use a hyphen between the digit and the genitive and a space between the genitive and what follows. The grammatical number is defined by the cardinal number. The space after the genitive is omitted in the definite form. Paraphrase if the result is very long or complex.

Use	Don’t use
10-punkts skrift	10 punkts skrift
32-biters versjon	32-bitersversjon
9-pinners kontakt	9-pinnes kontakt
1-persons datamaskin	1-personers datamaskin
10-punktsskriften (definite)	10-punkts skriften

Genitive¶

Paraphrasing, often with prepositions, is recommended where possible. The “s” genitive can be used, particularly useful with length restrictions. The “sin” genitive should generally be avoided in Bokmål, though sometimes useful (see below).

English	Use	Possible	Don’t use
You deleted the file’s folder	Du slettet mappen som filen lå i	Du slettet filens mappe	Du slettet filen sin mappe
Check your document’s changes	Kontroller endringene i dokumentet	Kontroller dokumentets endringer	Kontroller dokumentet sine endringer
the product’s website	nettstedet for produktet	produktets nettsted	produktet sitt nettsted
the document’s recovery	gjenopprettingen av dokumentet	dokument-gjenopprettingen / dokumentets gjenoppretting	gjenopprettingen dokumentet sin

We need to avoid errors like: Du er invitert til å se Thomass fotoalbum.

Source	Use	Don’t use
You have been invited to see [username]’s photo album.	Du er invitert til å se [username] sitt fotoalbum. / Du er invitert til å se fotoalbumet til [username].	Du er invitert til å se [username]s fotoalbum.

Don’t attach a genitive s to (trademarked) product names — this is viewed as a modification.

Localizing colloquialisms, idioms, and metaphors¶

Three options:

• Don’t replace the source colloquialism with a Bokmål colloquialism that means the same thing unless it’s a perfect and natural fit for the context.
• Translate the intended meaning (not literally), but only if the colloquialism’s meaning is integral to the text and can’t be omitted.
• If the colloquialism can be omitted without affecting meaning, omit it.

Nouns¶

Inflection¶

As a general rule, use the two-gender system: all singular nouns that in official Bokmål have the option of ending in -a should end in -en.

Indefinite	Definite
en håndbok	håndboken
en mus	musen

However, a small number of nouns usually or exclusively take the -a ending in written Bokmål — generally those where -a was compulsory as the main form from 1938 until 2005:

Indefinite	Definite
en bikkje	bikkja
en bygd	bygda
en fjær	fjæra
en fjære	fjæra
en greie	greia
en hytte	hytta
en jente	jenta
en kone	kona
en ku	kua
en lomme	lomma
en moro	moroa
en pumpe	pumpa
en øy	øya

Neuter words ending in -er, -el, or -en. In the definite singular when optional, use contracted forms for words of three or more syllables. Don’t contract shorter words.

Indefinite	Definite
et filter	filteret
et eksempel	eksemplet
et kapittel	kapitlet

Plural formation¶

For neuter nouns that can have a zero or marked ending in the indefinite plural, use a marked plural ending wherever possible, including monosyllabic ones.

Singular	Plural
et felt	flere felter
et punkt	flere punkter
et alternativ	flere alternativer
et program	flere programmer
et album	flere albumer
et eksempel	flere eksempler

Note: Et verktøy – flere verktøy.

Some irregular plurals:

Singular	Don’t use	Use
et lager	flere lager	flere lagre
et lager	flere lagere	flere lagre
et nummer	flere nummer	flere numre
et nummer	flere nummere	flere numre

Inflection of neuter words ending in -um and -ium:

Indefinite singular	Definite singular	Indefinite plural	Definite plural
et kvantum	kvantumet	kvanta	kvantaene
et kriterium	kriteriet	kriterier	kriteriene

When a word can have an optional -ere or -re ending in the indefinite plural, use -ere:

Indefinite singular	Definite singular	Indefinite plural	Definite plural
en kalender	kalenderen	kalendere	kalenderne
en parameter	parameteren	parametere	parameterne

Numbers¶

Numbers may be written as numerals or spelled out. In Norwegian it’s common to spell out numbers one through twelve, so it’s OK to do so in localized text. However, avoid mixing numerals and spelled-out numbers in the same text. If simple and more complex numbers appear together, numerals are preferred.

Prepositions¶

Use prepositions correctly in translated text. Many translators, influenced by the English source text, omit them or change word order. Note in particular that “på” should now be used after “klikke”, “dobbeltklikke”, and “trykke”.

Term	Example phrase and preposition
bruke	noe til noe (means) / noe for å gjøre noe (purpose)
dobbeltklikke	på noe
farge	på noe
feil	i linje 13 / i filen
innholdet	i dokumentet
på utklippstavlen
på harddisken
installere	på nettverket / fra Internett
klikke	på en knapp / på museknappen / i et vindu / i et felt / i rullefeltet / på noe på lysbildet / på noe på verktøylinjen
komponent	i listen
lagre	i en mappe / på en harddisk
legge til	noe i listen
liste	over brukere
skrive	i et dokument / i et felt / på figuren
stå/være	på menyen
trykke	på en tast / på F1
utseende	på noe
velge	på menyen / fra listen

Punctuation¶

Follow Vinje’s Skriveregler for general rules.

Bulleted lists¶

When each bullet is short, use lowercase for the first letter. Each item also starts with a lowercase letter when items together with the introductory phrase form a complete sentence. The introductory text should not end with a colon, and bullet text should not end with a period.

I denne teksten skal du finne - tema - virkemidler

De tar stilling til hvordan - ressurser skal fordeles - fellesoppgaver skal løses

If the introductory text or the bullets are complete sentences, the introductory text ends with a colon, bullets start with uppercase and end with a period.

Svar på disse spørsmålene: 1. Hva er temaet i denne teksten? 2. Hvor mener du at vendepunktet er? 3. Hva skjer med helten?

Store deler av samfunnet måtte endres: - Grunnloven måtte forbedres. - Et nytt byråkrati måtte bygges opp. - Skatte- og avgiftssystemet måtte endres.

Comma¶

When a comma is optional, we usually include it. This applies to short, conjunctive main clauses, particularly imperative clauses: Merk et emne, og klikk på Vis.

Colon¶

Use a colon before examples and instructions for clarification:

I dette kapitlet beskrives hvordan du kan gjøre følgende: - kontrollere stavemåte - bruke synonymordboken

Semicolon¶

Semicolons are common in US English but rarely used in Norwegian. Use a period or a comma instead.

English	Translation
This could be a complete sentence; this could be another one.	Dette kan være en fullstendig setning. Det kan dette også være.
Twelve workers started the project; only five remain.	Tolv stykker begynte på prosjektet, men nå er det bare fem igjen.

Dashes and hyphens¶

Three English dashes: hyphen, en dash, em dash.

Hyphen divides words between syllables, links compound words, connects parts of inverted/imperative verb forms. In Norwegian, used to clarify confusing compounds and in combinations with abbreviations, digits, symbols, certain loanwords:

Vis-menyen produkt-ID 386-utvidet modus alt-i-ett-pakke

Use a hyphen when a combined construction has one implicit part — the hyphen indicates the implicit part. Full and contracted parts must be of the same type:

Use	Don’t use
grunnversjon og avansert versjon	grunn- og avansert versjon
maskin- og programvare	maskin og programvare
papirretning og -størrelse	papirretning og størrelse

Use a hyphen in combinations of digits, acronyms, and proper nouns: 16-pinners kontakt, 12-punkts skrift, OLE-kobling, Microsoft-program, Word-fil. Use a nonbreaking space whenever necessary to avoid awkward line breaks.

En dash (ANSI 0150) is a minus sign, usually with spaces. Also for number ranges (no spaces): Side 114–200. As minus: –12 kr. Bruttoinntekt – Kostnader = Nettoinntekt.

En dashes (tankestreker) can substitute for parentheses or commas around appositional phrases, always surrounded by spaces. Use sparingly — commas are often better.

Em dash (ANSI 0151) is used in English, but never in Norwegian.

Ellipsis (suspension points)¶

Ellipses follow software commands in UI. To save space, don’t insert a space before an ellipsis in UI: Lagre som…

Ellipses indicating incomplete statement or omitted words should have a space before them: Lagre filen i denne mappen hvis du vil … / Vent litt … / Dokumentet skrives ut …

Quotation marks¶

Quotation marks aren’t as common in Norwegian as in English. They can be used for error messages, but not for software references or chapter/section names in Norwegian user assistance:

English	Translation
See “Deleting files.”	Se Slette filer.
Click “Table” on the “Insert” tab.	Klikk på Tabell på Sett inn-fanen.

When you do need quotation marks in Norwegian, use chevrons by default: « » (Alt+0171 «; Alt+0187 »).

Parentheses¶

No space between parentheses and the text inside them. Used to clarify examples or explain acronyms.

I stedet for å skrive filtypen kan du bruke stjerne (*). SDK (Software Development Kit)

Sentence fragments¶

Sentence fragments can convey conversational tone — use them mainly for frequently repeated phrases (links, user assistance, webpages, restricted space). Don’t overuse — excessive fragments sound ungrammatical and unpolished.

en-US source text	Norwegian long form	Norwegian sentence fragment
Go to the next item?	Vil du gå til neste element?	Gå til neste?
Do this:	Bruk disse trinnene:	Gjør følgende:
Reopen file?	Vil du åpne filen på nytt?	Åpne filen på nytt?
Delete file?	Vil du slette filen?	Slette filen?

Split infinitive¶

Don’t separate the infinitive marker from the verb:

Use	Don’t use
Du har valgt ikke å registrere programmet.	Du har valgt å ikke registrere programmet.

However, disregard this rule if there’s risk of ambiguity (sometimes in past tense):

English	Use	Don’t use
You chose not to restore the original versions of the files.	Du valgte å ikke gjenopprette originalversjonene av filene.	Du valgte ikke å gjenopprette originalversjonene av filene.

Symbols and nonbreaking spaces¶

Use a nonbreaking space (Ctrl+Skift+Mellomrom) between a number and unit of measure, as thousand separator, in phone numbers, between product name and version number, etc.: 6 MB, kr 1 350 000, tlf. 22 02 25 00, Microsoft Office 365.

Ampersand (&). Always translate “&” as “and” when in running text. Don’t keep “&” in the target unless it’s part of a tag, placeholder, shortcut, or other code.

Translation of Obs! Tips! Advarsel! (Note/Hint/Warning)¶

These words highlight something important. In English they may be followed by exclamation point, colon, or no punctuation. In Norwegian translation, always use an exclamation point for consistency.

Sometimes “Note:” appears mid-segment — in that case use «Merk at …».

English	Translation
Attention, Note, Notes	Obs!
Caution	Forsiktig!
Error	Feil!
Important	Viktig!
Tip, Tips, Hint, Hints	Tips!
Warning	Advarsel!

Use only one space between these words and any following string: Obs! Filen lagres ikke før du klikker på Lagre.

Verbs¶

Use simple tenses. Simple present is easiest to understand. Avoid future tense unless really describing something in the future. Use simple past for events that have happened.

Conjugation patterns:

Infinitive	Present	Past	Perfect
bygge	bygger	bygde	bygd
skade	skader	skadet	skadet
lage	lager	laget	laget
telle	teller	telte	telt
øke	øker	økte	økt
kreve	krever	krevde	krevd

Frequently used verbs:

Infinitive	Present	Past	Perfect
be	ber	bad	bedt
dra	drar	dro	dratt
gi	gir	gav	gitt
stå	står	stod	stått
trykke	trykker	trykte	trykt

When using s-verbs (passive voice) in present tense, monosyllabic words take short form, multisyllabic take long form, with exceptions:

Present tense
gis
tas
trengs
finnes
skrives
synes
sies
ses (ikke sees)

In English, ongoing processes use gerund. In Norwegian, the gerund is often turned into a regular verb form:

English	Translation
Editing images	Redigere bilder
… when saving your document	… ved lagring av dokumentet / … når du lagrer dokumentet

Norwegian -ing verbs refer to an action; -ning and -sjon are nominal forms generally referring to the result:

English	Translation
publication	publisering (action) / publikasjon (result)
program installation	installering av program (action) / programinstallasjon (result)

Localization considerations¶

Accessibility¶

Accessibility options make computers usable by people with cognitive, hearing, physical, or visual disabilities. Some accessible products aren’t available in Norwegian Bokmål-speaking markets — verify with appropriate resources.

Applications, products, and features¶

Application/product names are often trademarked and rarely translated. Occasionally feature names are trademarked too (e.g., IntelliSense).

Version numbers. Always contain a period (Version 4.2):

US English	Norwegian target
Version 4.2	Versjon 4.2

Version strings. Strings containing copyright information should always be translated:

US English	Norwegian target
© 2022 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.	© 2022 Microsoft Corporation. Med enerett.

Copilot predefined prompts¶

Copilot prompts are functional — translations must be accurate, consistent, concise, natural, and use the appropriate tone of voice. Quality of prompt translations significantly influences Copilot responses.

Best practices:

• Be clear and specific. English prompts are generally questions or requests starting with an action verb. Make target prompts natural questions or requests. Avoid vague language.
• Keep it conversational. Use simple, natural language. Avoid robot-like tone. Use informal voice and form of address.
• Be polite and professional. Use kind, respectful language — improves AI responsiveness and performance. Don’t use slang and jargon.
• Use quotation marks. Helps Copilot know what to write, modify, or replace.
• Pay attention to punctuation, grammar, and capitalization. Clear communication helps collaboration.
• Pay attention to placement of entity tokens. An entity token is a placeholder that triggers a UI pop-up. Not localizable. Position should make sense in target text syntax. Exception: when prompts are display text (an example), the entity token needs translation — read the Dev comment carefully.
• Be consistent. Similar English prompts must translate consistently.

Source prompt	Target prompt
List ideas for a fun remote team building event	Lag en liste over ideer til et morsomt teambuildingarrangement
What are the goals and topics from the meeting? Format each section with a bolded heading, a bulleted list, and bolded names	Hva er målene og emnene i møtet? Formater hvert avsnitt med en overskrift i fet skrift, en punktliste og navn i fet skrift
Propose a new introduction to file	Foreslå en ny innledning til filen
What were the open issues from meeting?	Hva er de åpne sakene fra møtet?
Give me ideas for icebreaker activities for a new team	Gi meg ideer for å sikre en god start for et nytt team.
Create a list of color names inspired by the ocean	Lag en liste over fargenavn med havet som inspirasjon

References to UI elements¶

References to UI elements (menus, buttons, icons, fields, folders) should be written as follows.

One or two words: - Musikk-mappen - Mine dokumenter-mappen

Three words: - feltet Skriv inn password

Exceptions: The three-words rule applies if a UI element contains two or three words that consist of three or more meaningful words: - knappen Opphev aktivitetskoblinger (second word consists of two nouns) - feltet Rutekoblingskode (this option consists of three nouns)

If the element type contains more than three syllables, the element name comes after the type: dialogboksen Tall.

Buttons. In most cases, button can be omitted from the translation. Button names should have an initial capital letter (Skriv ut) and be formatted as in the source. If the button has text and you need to include button, follow the UI elements rule above. Exception: the Start button is startknappen. Use Start when omitting knappen. Buttons without text and not on toolbars have specific names without initial capital: maksimeringsknappen.

Trademarks¶

Trademarked names shouldn’t be localized unless local laws require translation and an approved translated form is available.

Software considerations¶

General guidelines:

• Clarity and simplicity are key.
• Be as short as possible. Avoid unnecessary words.
• Different devices, sizes, and formats are used — UI should fit all.
• Achieve cross-platform consistency on desktop, mobile, and cloud.

Interpret guidelines in the way that gives the best customer experience.

Error messages¶

Error messages inform the user of an error that must be corrected. Apply Microsoft voice principles for natural, empathetic, not-robot-like translation.

English term	Correct Norwegian translation
Name cannot be blank.	Navnet kan ikke være tomt.
Not enough memory to process this command.	Det er ikke nok minne til å behandle denne kommandoen.

Use consistent terminology and language style — don’t just translate as they appear in the US product. If you need to clearly distinguish the error message from surrounding text, use quotation marks around it.

Standard phrases:

English	Translation	Example	Comment
Cannot … / Could not …	Kan ikke …	Kan ikke åpne filen	Use the present tense in Norwegian
Failed to … / Failure of …	Kan ikke …	Kan ikke laste inn videoen	Use the present tense in Norwegian
Cannot find … / Could not find … / Unable to find … / Unable to locate …	Finner ikke …	Finner ikke filen	Use the present tense in Norwegian
Not enough memory / Insufficient memory / There is not enough memory / There is not enough memory available	Ikke nok minne	Ikke nok minne til å utføre kommandoen
… is not available / … is unavailable	… er ikke tilgjengelig	Serveren er ikke tilgjengelig
cannot open …	Kan ikke åpne …		Omit the program name in Norwegian to avoid personalization

Placeholders. Find out what will replace each placeholder so the sentence stays grammatical. Letter conventions:

• %d, %ld, %u, %lu —
• %c —
• %s —

Norwegian often requires different word order:

English	Translation	Comment
repeat every {0} for a duration of {1}	gjenta hver(t) {0} i {1}	{0} = day/week/year. Parentheses cover masculine and neuter forms. {1} = time duration (e.g., “5 timer”, “3 uker”).
In the {0} dialog, click {1}.	Klikk på {1} i dialogboksen {0}.	Different word order — placeholders change places.

Placeholders are often surrounded by single or double quotes in English source. Quotation marks should be avoided in Norwegian software unless needed for clarity (see Quotation marks).

Keyboard shortcuts¶

Whenever possible, choose a keyboard shortcut that makes sense in Norwegian. Use the same shortcut for the same action in different places. Highly visible options like main menus and common commands typically use shortcuts from the initial letter of the menu or command.

Keyboard shortcut option	Allowed?	Notes
“Slim characters” (I, l, t, r, f) as shortcuts	Yes	Only when no other characters are available
Characters with descenders (g, j, y, p, q) as shortcuts	Yes	Only when no other characters are available
Extended characters as shortcuts	Yes	Only when no other characters are available
Additional letter in brackets after item name	No
Number in brackets after item name	No
Punctuation sign in brackets after item name	No
Duplicate keyboard shortcuts when no other character available	Yes
No shortcut when no characters available (minor options only)	No

Key terms:

Term	Usage
access key	A subtype of keyboard shortcut. A letter or number used to access UI controls with text labels. Assigned to top-level controls. Most are used with Alt. Example: F in Alt+F. UI: H&ome.
key tip	Letter or number appearing in the ribbon when Alt is pressed. UI: last character after “": HomeH.
shortcut key	Subtype of keyboard shortcut. Performs a common action without going through UI. Most use Ctrl. Example: Ctrl+N, Ctrl+V. Ctrl+letter and F1–F12 are usually best.

Keys¶

In English, references to key names appear in normal text and sentence-style capitalization (not small caps). In Norwegian, all keys are written in capital letters in help and documentation: INS, ESC, ENTER, HOME.

English key name	Norwegian key name
Alt	Alt
Backspace	Tilbake
Break	Break
Caps lock	Caps Lock
Ctrl	Ctrl
Delete	Delete
Down arrow	Pil ned
End	End
Enter	Enter
Esc	Esc
Home	Home
Insert	Insert
Left arrow	Pil venstre
Num lock	Num Lock
Page down	Page Down
Page up	Page Up
Pause	Pause
Right arrow	Pil høyre
Scroll lock	Scroll Lock
Shift	Skift
Spacebar	Mellomrom
Tab	Tab
Up arrow	Pil opp
Windows key	Windows-tast
Print screen	PrintScr
menu key	Menytast

Standard shortcut keys¶

US command	US English shortcut	Norwegian command	Norwegian shortcut
Help window	F1	Help window	F1
Context-sensitive Help	Shift+F1	Context-sensitive Help	Skift+F1
Display pop-up menu	Shift+F10	Display pop-up menu	Skift+F10
Cancel	Esc	Cancel	Esc
Activate/deactivate menu bar mode	F10	Activate/deactivate menu bar mode	F10
Switch to the next primary application	Alt+Tab	Switch to the next primary application	Alt+Tab
Display next window	Alt+Esc	Display next window	Alt+Esc
Display pop-up menu for the window	Alt+Spacebar	Display pop-up menu for the window	Alt+Mellomrom
Display pop-up menu for the active child window	Alt+-	Display pop-up menu for the active child window	Alt+-
Display property sheet for current selection	Alt+Enter	Display property sheet for current selection	Alt+Enter
Close active application window	Alt+F4	Close active application window	Alt+F4
Switch to next window within (modeless-compliant) application	Alt+F6	Switch to next window within (modeless-compliant) application	Alt+F6
Capture active window image to the clipboard	Alt+Print Screen	Capture active window image to the Clipboard	Alt+PrintScr
Capture desktop image to the clipboard	Print Screen	Capture desktop image to the Clipboard	PrintScr
Access Start button in taskbar	Ctrl+Esc	Access Start button in taskbar	Ctrl+Esc
Display next child window	Ctrl+F6	Display next child window	Ctrl+F6
Display next tabbed pane	Ctrl+Tab	Display next tabbed pane	Ctrl+Tab
Launch Task Manager and system initialization	Ctrl+Shift+Esc	Launch Task Manager and system initialization	Ctrl+Skift+Esc
File New	Ctrl+N	Fil Ny	Ctrl+N
File Open	Ctrl+O	Fil Åpne	Ctrl+O
File Close	Ctrl+F4	Fil Lukk	Ctrl+F4
File Save	Ctrl+S	Fil Lagre	Ctrl+S
File Save as	F12	Fil Lagre som	F12
File Print Preview	Ctrl+F2	Fil Forhåndsvisning	Ctrl+F2
File Print	Ctrl+P	Fil Skriv ut	Ctrl+P
File Exit	Alt+F4	Fil Avslutt	Alt+F4
Edit Undo	Ctrl+Z	Rediger Angre	Ctrl+Z
Edit Repeat	Ctrl+Y	Rediger Gjenta	Ctrl+Y
Edit Cut	Ctrl+X	Rediger Klipp ut	Ctrl+X
Edit Copy	Ctrl+C	Rediger Kopier	Ctrl+C
Edit Paste	Ctrl+V	Rediger Lim inn	Ctrl+V
Edit Delete	Ctrl+Backspace	Rediger Slett	Ctrl+Tilbake
Edit Select All	Ctrl+A	Rediger Merk alt	Ctrl+A
Edit Find	Ctrl+F	Rediger Søk	Ctrl+B
Edit Replace	Ctrl+H	Rediger Erstatt	Ctrl+H
Edit Go To	Ctrl+B	Rediger Gå til	Ctrl+G
Help	F1	Hjelp	F1
Italic	Ctrl+I	Kursiv	Ctrl+K
Bold	Ctrl+G	Fet	Ctrl+F
Underlined/word underline	Ctrl+U	Understreking	Ctrl+U
Large caps	Ctrl+Shift+A	Store bokstaver	Ctrl+Skift+A
Small caps	Ctrl+Shift+K	Kapitéler	Ctrl+Skift+K
Centered	Ctrl+E	Midtstill	Ctrl+E
Left aligned	Ctrl+L	Juster tekst venstre	Ctrl+L
Right aligned	Ctrl+R	Juster tekst høyre	Ctrl+R
Justified	Ctrl+J	Blokkjuster	Ctrl+J

Voice video considerations¶

A successful video addresses one topic, is brief, has high-quality audio, has visuals that complement information, and uses the right language variant/dialect/accent.

Successful techniques:

• Focus on the intent. Show the best way to achieve the most common task and stick to it.
• Show empathy. Understand and acknowledge the viewer’s situation.
• Use SEO. Include search phrases in title, description, and headers so people can find the topic.
• Talk to the customer as if they’re next to you, watching you explain.
• Record a scratch audio file. Check length, pace, and clarity.

English pronunciation¶

English terms and product names left unlocalized should generally be pronounced as English words. Microsoft is pronounced the English way. However, if Norwegian has an established pronunciation for a common term (like “server”), use the local pronunciation. Pronunciation can be adapted to the Norwegian phonetic system if the original sounds awkward.

Example	Phonetics
SecurID	[sɪˈkjʊər aɪ diː]
.NET	[dot net]
Skype	[skaip]

Acronyms pronounced as words, adapted to local pronunciation:

Example	Phonetics
RADIUS	radius
RAS	ras
ISA	isa
LAN	lan
WAN	van
WAP	vapp
MAPI	mapi

Other abbreviations pronounced letter by letter:

Example	Phonetics
ICMP	i-c-m-p
IP	i-p
TCP/IP	t-c-p-i-p
XML	x-m-l
HTML	h-t-m-l
SQL	s-q-l
URL	u-r-l

URLs: “http://” can be omitted. The rest read in full.

Example	Phonetics
http://www.microsoft.com	w w w punktum maikråsåft punktum kåm

Most punctuation marks (? ! : ; ,) are naturally implied by the speaker’s tone. En dashes (–) emphasize an isolated element and should be pronounced as a short pause (like a comma). Special characters (/ \ ˘ < > + -) use Norwegian translations approved in Microsoft Terminology.

Tone¶

Use a tone appropriate for text and audience. Informal, playful, inspiring for consumer products and games; formal, informative, factual for technical content.

Video voice checklist¶

Topic and script: apply single intent, clarity, everyday language, friendliness, relatable context.

Title: includes intent, includes keywords for search.

Intro (10 seconds): put the problem into a relatable context.

Action and sound: keep something happening visually and audibly, maintain pace, synchronize visuals with voice-over, alternate first/second person if natural, repeat major points if appropriate.

Visuals: guide the eye with smooth pointer motions, judicious callouts, appropriate motion graphics and branding-approved visuals.

Ending: recaps are unnecessary.

Reference materials: authoritative Norwegian Bokmål dictionaries¶

Use these references for orthography, grammar, and terminology when this guide doesn’t specify.

Normative references (adhere to these):

1. Bokmålsordboka — Kunnskapsforlaget, Oslo 2005 (online version available).
2. Finn-Erik Vinje: Skriveregler, 9. utgave, bokmål, Aschehoug, 2009 — standard reference for punctuation, abbreviations, capitalization.

Informative references (background, supplementary):

1. Tanums store rettskrivningsordbok — Kunnskapsforlaget, Oslo 2015.
2. Språkrådet — the Language Council of Norway.

Microsoft references:

• Microsoft Terminology — Globalization: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/globalization/reference/microsoft-terminology
• Microsoft Trademarks: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/legal/intellectualproperty/trademarks

FAQ¶

What’s the modern register for Norwegian Bokmål translation across professional contexts?¶

Warm, conversational, scannable. This applies to medical patient materials, marketing copy, software UI, and consumer-facing legal documents. Pure technical specifications and sworn legal translation may retain higher formality, but even there, clarity beats stilted register. Avoid any phrasing that signals the text was translated when a natural synonym exists.

How should I address users in Norwegian Bokmål translation?¶

Use the second-person pronoun du for direct address — standard across software, marketing, medical patient materials, and consumer-facing legal documents. Avoid man unless writing in an explicitly impersonal register. For generic references, prefer plurals and role nouns over generic he/she.

How does Norwegian Bokmål handle gender-neutral language?¶

Avoid -mann compounds where possible: talsperson (not talsmann), leder (not formann), forsker/naturviter (not vitenskapsmann), administrasjonssjef (not rådmann), statsansatt (not tjenestemann). The new gender-neutral pronoun hen is acceptable in dictionaries and major IT companies for generic single-person references; the genitive form hens is not recommended. For real people, use their stated preferred pronouns. New content should use gender-neutral language; legacy material need not be retroactively updated.

Where do I place the possessive in Norwegian Bokmål?¶

Place the possessive after the word it modifies (dokumentet ditt, kontoen din) for neutral statements — putting it before (ditt dokument, din konto) sounds formal and English-influenced. However, when there’s explicit or implicit contrast with something else, place the possessive before: “Hvis du har mottatt et svar på en melding som ikke ble sendt fra din konto” (contrasting with other accounts). Omit possessives entirely where context makes ownership clear (Åpne dokumentet, not Åpne ditt dokument).

How do I form compound nouns correctly in Norwegian Bokmål?¶

Follow patterns in existing similar compounds for linking S or E: museknapp (analogous to musefelle, musevise), not musknapp; hjelpeemne (not hjelpemne or Hjelp-emne); tastekombinasjon (not tastkombinasjon). The linking S can change meaning: dameskinnhanske means leather glove for ladies, dameskinnshanske literally means glove made from women’s skin. Avoid excessively long or complex compounds. Use a hyphen with digit-genitive combinations: 10-punkts skrift, 32-biters versjon.

What authoritative Norwegian Bokmål language references should I use?¶

Normative: Bokmålsordboka (Kunnskapsforlaget, Oslo 2005) and Finn-Erik Vinje’s Skriveregler (9th edition, Bokmål, Aschehoug, 2009). Informative: Tanums store rettskrivningsordbok (Kunnskapsforlaget, Oslo 2015) and Språkrådet (the Language Council of Norway). See “Reference materials” section above.

Sources¶

• Microsoft Localization Style Guide for Norwegian Bokmål (PDF)
• Microsoft Globalization Style Guides hub
• Bokmålsordboka (online)
• Språkrådet — Language Council of Norway