Contents · A1
- The present and the main clause
- Nouns
- Gender and the indefinite article: en bil, ei bok, et hus
- No article for a profession: Han er lærer
- The definite form: bilen, boka, huset
- The plural: biler, jenter, lærere, hus
- The definite plural and the four forms: bilene, husene, barna
- Irregular plurals: menn, bøker, brødre, barn
- Possession: Karis bil, bilen til Kari
- Pronouns and pointing words
- The modal verbs and the infinitive
- Adjectives
- Possession, numbers and time
- Place
- The past
- The future
- The imperative
Tap a sentence to see its translation.
A Norwegian noun is masculine, feminine or neuter: an en-word, an ei-word or an et-word, after its indefinite article. The gender shows in the article, in the definite ending and in the agreement of the adjective, and every noun has four forms: en bil, bilen, biler, bilene.
Gender and the indefinite article: en bil, ei bok, et hus#
Formation
Every noun belongs to one of three genders. A masculine noun, or en-word, takes the indefinite article en: en bil, en gutt, en kopp. A feminine noun, or ei-word, takes ei: ei bok, ei jente, ei dør. A neuter noun, or et-word, takes et: et hus, et barn, et eple. In Bokmål an ei-word may also take en and the masculine endings: ei bok or en bok, boka or boken; both are correct. The form of a noun seldom shows its gender, so each noun is learnt with its article. Most nouns are masculine.
| en-word (masculine) | ei-word (feminine) | et-word (neuter) |
|---|---|---|
| en bil (a car) | ei bok (a book) | et hus (a house) |
| en gutt (a boy) | ei jente (a girl) | et barn (a child) |
| en kopp (a cup) | ei dør (a door) | et eple (an apple) |
| en venn (a friend) | ei seng (a bed) | et glass (a glass) |
Use
The indefinite article is used, as English “a” is, for one thing that is not yet known: Jeg har en katt og to hunder. An uncountable noun has no article: Vi kjøper brød og melk. As the number “one”, the article is written with an accent or a double t when it is stressed: én kopp, ett eple.
- Erik kjøper ei avis og et eple.Erik buys a newspaper and an apple.
- Vi bor i ei leilighet i Oslo.We live in a flat in Oslo.
- Har du en penn?Do you have a pen?
- Sofie drikker et glass melk.Sofie drinks a glass of milk.
- Jeg spiser brød og ost.I eat bread and cheese.
Difference from English
English has one article, “a” or “an”, chosen by the sound that follows. Norwegian has three, chosen by the gender of the noun: en, ei or et. English “a glass of milk” has no “of” in Norwegian: et glass melk.
Common mistakes
en hus→ et husHus is an et-word.et bil→ en bilBil is an en-word.
Remember
Each noun is learnt with en, ei or et: en bil, ei bok, et hus.
Practise
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No article for a profession: Han er lærer#
Use
After være (to be) and bli (to become), a noun for a profession, a nationality or a role has no article: Han er lærer, Hun er student, Ola blir lege. The same holds after som (as): Hun arbeider som lærer i Bergen. When an adjective describes the person, the article is used: Han er en god lærer.
- Ingrid er lege.Ingrid is a doctor.
- Jeg er student, og broren min er lærer.I’m a student, and my brother is a teacher.
- Erik vil bli sjåfør.Erik wants to become a driver.
- Broren min arbeider som kelner på et hotell.My brother works as a waiter in a hotel.
- Hun er en flink lærer.She is a good teacher.
Difference from English
English places “a” before a profession: “She is a doctor”. Norwegian has no article there: Hun er lege.
Common mistakes
Hun er en lege.→ Hun er lege.A profession after er has no article.Han er god lærer.→ Han er en god lærer.With an adjective, the article is used.
Practise
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The definite form: bilen, boka, huset#
Formation
Norwegian has no separate word for “the” before a noun on its own: the definite article is an ending added to the noun. An en-word takes -en, an ei-word -a and an et-word -et. A noun ending in an unstressed -e takes only -n or -t, and the -e of an ei-word is dropped before -a. An ei-word may also take the masculine -en: boka or boken.
| Gender | Ending | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| en-word | -en | bil, bilen; gutt, gutten; nøkkel, nøkkelen |
| en-word in -e | -n | hage, hagen; time, timen |
| ei-word | -a (or -en) | bok, boka; dør, døra; jente, jenta |
| et-word | -et | hus, huset; bord, bordet |
| et-word in -e | -t | eple, eplet |
Use
The indefinite and definite forms are used as English “a” and “the” are. The definite form is used once the thing is known, because it has been mentioned, because it is present, or because there is only one: Hunden heter Bob. Hvor er nøkkelen? Sola er varm. A known place after a preposition is in the definite form: på kjøkkenet, i hagen.
- Hvor er bilen?Where is the car?
- Huset er stort.The house is big.
- Jenta heter Nora.The girl’s name is Nora.
- Jeg har en katt. Katten er svart.I have a cat. The cat is black.
- Vi spiser på kjøkkenet.We eat in the kitchen.
- Sola er varm i dag.The sun is warm today.
Difference from English
English places “the” before the noun; Norwegian adds the article to the end of the noun: “the car” is one word, bilen.
Common mistakes
den bil→ bilen“The” on its own is an ending, not a word.Jeg har en hund. En hund er stor.→ Jeg har en hund. Hunden er stor.A thing already mentioned is in the definite form.
Practise
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The plural: biler, jenter, lærere, hus#
Formation
The indefinite plural of most nouns is formed with -er, or -r after an unstressed -e. A noun in -er for a person takes -e, and a noun in -el drops its e before the ending, a double consonant before it being then written single: nøkkel, nøkler. A short et-word, of one syllable, takes no ending; a longer one takes -er. Norwegian has no plural in -s.
| Noun | Plural | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| most en-words and ei-words | -er | bil, biler; dør, dører; venn, venner |
| a noun in unstressed -e | -r | jente, jenter; kake, kaker |
| a noun in -er for a person | -e | lærer, lærere; kelner, kelnere |
| a noun in -el | -er, one e dropped, kk written single | nøkkel, nøkler |
| a short et-word | no ending | hus, hus; barn, barn; rom, rom |
| a longer et-word | -er or -r | eple, epler; bilde, bilder |
Use
A number above one is followed by the plural: tre biler, to hus. An et-word of one syllable has the same form in the singular and the plural: et barn, to barn. A few nouns have a plural of their own, set out in Irregular plurals: menn, bøker, brødre, barn.
- Maria har to katter.Maria has two cats.
- Jeg kjøper fire tomater.I’m buying four tomatoes.
- Kari har tre barn.Kari has three children.
- Hotellet har tjue rom.The hotel has twenty rooms.
- Skolen vår har fem lærere.Our school has five teachers.
Difference from English
English adds -s to almost every noun. In Norwegian the usual ending is -er, and a short et-word has none at all: “two houses” is to hus.
Common mistakes
to bils→ to bilerNorwegian has no plural in -s.fire huser→ fire husA short et-word takes no plural ending.tre lærerer→ tre lærereA noun in -er for a person takes -e.
Practise
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The definite plural and the four forms: bilene, husene, barna#
Formation
The definite plural ends in -ene, for every gender. The ending replaces the -er or -r of the indefinite plural (biler, bilene; jenter, jentene) and is added to a plural with no ending (hus, husene). A noun in -er for a person takes -ne, added to the singular: lærer, lærerne. Many et-words may also take -a: husa, epla; barn usually has barna.
| Indefinite singular | Definite singular | Indefinite plural | Definite plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| en bil | bilen | biler | bilene |
| ei jente | jenta (jenten) | jenter | jentene |
| et hus | huset | hus | husene (husa) |
| et eple | eplet | epler | eplene (epla) |
| en lærer | læreren | lærere | lærerne |
| en nøkkel | nøkkelen | nøkler | nøklene |
| et barn | barnet | barn | barna (barnene) |
- Hvor er barna?Where are the children?
- Skoene er dyre.The shoes are expensive.
- Bussene går hver time.The buses run every hour.
- Eplene er grønne.The apples are green.
- Lærerne snakker engelsk.The teachers speak English.
Difference from English
English “the” is the same in the singular and the plural. In Norwegian the definite plural has its own ending: “the cars” is bilene, “the houses” husene.
Common mistakes
huset (for “the houses”) → husene Huset is the definite singular.
lærerene→ lærerneA noun in -er for a person takes -ne.de biler→ bilene“The” is an ending in the plural too.
Remember
Four forms: en bil, bilen, biler, bilene; et hus, huset, hus, husene.
Practise
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Irregular plurals: menn, bøker, brødre, barn#
Formation
A few common nouns change their vowel in the plural, or have no plural ending, and are learnt one by one. The definite plural takes the usual -ene, except barna.
| Singular | Definite singular | Plural | Definite plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| en mann (a man) | mannen | menn | mennene |
| ei bok (a book) | boka | bøker | bøkene |
| en bror (a brother) | broren | brødre | brødrene |
| ei søster (a sister) | søstera (søsteren) | søstre | søstrene |
| en far (a father) | faren | fedre | fedrene |
| ei mor (a mother) | mora (moren) | mødre | mødrene |
| ei hånd (a hand) | hånda (hånden) | hender | hendene |
| en fot (a foot) | foten | føtter | føttene |
| en tann (a tooth) | tannen (tanna) | tenner | tennene |
| et øye (an eye) | øyet | øyne | øynene |
| et barn (a child) | barnet | barn | barna |
- Kari har to brødre og en søster.Kari has two brothers and a sister.
- Mennene arbeider i hagen.The men are working in the garden.
- Sofie leser to bøker i uka.Sofie reads two books a week.
- Jeg har kalde føtter i dag.My feet are cold today.
- Hun har blå øyne.She has blue eyes.
Difference from English
English has similar changes in a few nouns: “man, men”, “foot, feet”, “tooth, teeth”. Some of them correspond: mann, menn; fot, føtter; tann, tenner.
Common mistakes
to manner→ to mennMann changes its vowel in the plural.mange boker→ mange bøkerBok has ø in the plural.to føter→ to føtterThe plural of fot is føtter.
Practise
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Possession: Karis bil, bilen til Kari#
Formation
Possession is shown in two ways. The owner takes -s, with no apostrophe, and the thing owned follows with no article and no definite ending: Karis bil, Olas hus, farens bil. A name that already ends in -s takes an apostrophe: Lars’ bil. Or the thing owned comes first, in the definite form, followed by til and the owner: bilen til Kari, huset til Ola.
| With -s | With til |
|---|---|
| Karis bil | bilen til Kari |
| Olas hus | huset til Ola |
| Ingrids søster | søsteren til Ingrid |
| Lars’ hund | hunden til Lars |
Use
Both are correct and mean the same. The construction with til is common in speech; the -s is common in writing and with names.
- Ingrids bror bor i London.Ingrid’s brother lives in London.
- Hunden til Per er stor.Per’s dog is big.
- Hvor er nøkkelen til Anna?Where is Anna’s key?
- Lars’ bil er ny.Lars’s car is new.
- Det er Olas hus.That is Ola’s house.
Difference from English
English writes an apostrophe before the -s: “Kari’s car”. Norwegian writes none, Karis bil, except after a name in -s. English “the car of Kari” is unusual; Norwegian bilen til Kari is an everyday form.
Common mistakes
Kari's bil→ Karis bilThe -s has no apostrophe.Karis bilen→ Karis bilAfter an owner in -s, the noun has no definite ending.bil til Kari→ bilen til KariBefore til, the noun is definite.
In short
| Point | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| gender | en (masculine), ei (feminine), et (neuter) | en bil, ei bok, et hus |
| profession | no article after være, bli, som | Hun er lege. |
| definite singular | -en, -a, -et | bilen, boka, huset |
| plural | -er; -e after -er for a person; none for a short et-word | biler, lærere, hus |
| definite plural | -ene; -ne; barna | bilene, lærerne, barna |
| irregular plurals | a change of vowel | menn, bøker, føtter |
| possession | -s + bare noun; definite noun + til | Karis bil, bilen til Kari |
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