External Resources[]
https://www.reddit.com/r/duolingo/wiki/index#wiki_norwegian
UNIT 1[]
INTRODUCTION[]
A heartfelt welcome to the Norwegian course![]
Norwegian is a language with simpler grammar than many other European languages, but it is still a gendered language with three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine and neuter.
Grammatical Gender[]
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|
| en mann | ei kvinne or en kvinne | et barn |
| a man | a woman | a child |
All feminine gendered nouns can be classified as masculine gender as well. In theory, one could treat all feminine nouns as masculine ones, but most Norwegians still use the feminine form, especially for certain words.
The choice really is up to you! Both en kvinne and ei kvinne are grammatically correct, and the tendency to use the feminine gender depends on geography and dialect.
We have decided to teach it where it is most natural to use it, with words such as jente meaning girl, for example, but in the first couple of skills we'll let you focus on the masculine and neuter noun patterns.
Pronouns[]
Norwegian pronouns are very straightforward and correspond well to English ones:
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| jeg | I |
| du | you (singular) |
| han | he |
| hun | she |
| det | it |
When referring to a neutral subject, det is used to mean it or that. However, when referring to a masculine or feminine subject, it becomes den instead.
Verbs[]
Conjugation couldn't be simpler. All conjugated verbs have an -r stem in the present, and verbs don't change according to the subject! How easy is that?
| Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| jeg er | I am | vi er | we are |
| du er | you are | dere er | you are |
| han, hun, det er | he, she, it is | de er | they are |
Pronunciation[]
As a general rule, words are spelled as they're pronounced in Norwegian. One exception is words beginning with hv, such as hvem, meaning who. In this word, the h is silent.
In addition, there are several letters and letter combinations that are pronounced differently from English.
| Norwegian | IPA, Notes |
|---|---|
| A | [ɑ], very open |
| B | [b] |
| C | [s] or [k] depending on word, very rare, ex. Canada |
| D | [d], silent in consonant clusters or at the end of certain words like med or ved |
| E | [e] or [ɛ], [æ] in her and der, [i] in de |
| F | [f] |
| G | [g], [j] before an i; silent before a j; silent after an i and sometimes an a or o; often silent in days of the week |
| H | [h], silent before v |
| I | [i] like the e in email or ebook, [ɪ] before two consonants like the i in hit or fit |
| J | [j], like the y in yes or yellow |
| K | [k] |
| kj, ki, ky | [ç], like the sharp h in human, but more and more people now use [ʃ], like the sh in ship or shell |
| L | [l] |
| M | [m] |
| N | [n] |
| O | [u] like the oo in soon, but longer, [ʊ] before two consonants or in some exception words like tog |
| P | [p] |
| Q | [k], very rare, ex. Qatar |
| qu | [kv], very rare, ex. quisling |
| R | [ɾ], tap, like the tt in North American butter; some in Norway use [ʁ], the so-called French R |
| rs | [ʃ], r + s combinations produce sh sound, even between words |
| S | [s] |
| skj, ski, sky, sl | [ʃ], like the sh in ship or shell |
| T | [t], silent after an e sometimes, ex. det |
| U | [ʉ], like the ew in new, but more closed |
| V | [v] |
| W | [v], very rare, ex. show |
| X | [ks], very rare, ex. taxi |
| Y | [y] or [ʏ], like the e in email, but more closed |
| Z | [s], very rare, ex. zen |
Norwegian also has three additional letters that English doesn't have!
| Norwegian | IPA, Notes |
|---|---|
| Æ | [æ], like the a in mad or sad |
| Ø | [ø], like the o in word, but more open |
| Å | [o], like the o in go or low |
Special Notes on Common Words[]
| Norwegian | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| jeg | I | yai |
| det | it, that | deh, silent t |
Core Vocabulary[]
| Vocabulary | (Tree 4) |
|---|---|
| er | am, are, is |
| hvem | who |
| og | and |
| ikke | not |
| jeg | I |
| du | you (singular) |
| han | he |
| hun | she |
| en | a, an |
| en mann | a man |
| en/ei kvinne | a woman |
| en gutt | a boy |
| en/ei jente | a girl |
WHO? WHAT? WHERE?[]
Confused yet? We have just the word for you...
Hva is the word for what, and also happens to be just the right thing to exclaim when you feel like you've been hit in the head with one Norwegian grammar rule too many.
In this skill, you'll also come across another question word, but you'll have to go look for it yourself, because we're not sure exactly where it went.
Plural Pronouns[]
You're already familiar with the singular pronouns jeg, du, han, hun and det, and now we're adding the plural pronouns into the mix.
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| vi | we |
| dere | you (plural) |
| de | they |
Notice how Norwegian has two different pronouns for "you": du is the singular and dere is the plural version. An easy way to keep them apart, is to remember that the word representing more people has more letters in it.
Question Words[]
When you're just starting out learning a new language, few things are more useful than to be able to ask the questions that allow you to find what you need or further your learning. You've already learned one, hvem, and in this skill you'll learn two more of the most common question words.
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| hvem | who |
| hva | what |
| hvor | where |
Isn't it neat how they all resemble their English counterparts? You've probably noticed by now that English and Norwegian have many things in common, both when it comes to grammar and vocabulary. This is because they're closely related Germanic languages.
However, we do need to differentiate ourselves somehow, and so we decided to add some extra letters to our alphabet - just to keep things interesting.
Knowing[]
The verb å vite, to know, is an irregular verb in Norwegian. Its present tense, which you will familiarize yourself with in this skill, is vet. See that vowel change from the infinitive to the present? Cheeky!
There are actually several verbs for knowing, and you'll get to know them all in due time, but this particular one deals with factual knowledge. Some examples of that is knowing what or where something is, or knowing something about something or someone.
Vet du hvor det er?
Do you know where it is?
Vet du hvem hun er?
Do you know who she is?
Three New Vowels[]
Norwegian has three extra vowels, Æ, Ø and Å.
| Vowel | Similar To | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Æ | the a in add or apple | [æ] |
| Ø | no real equivalent, but not far from the vowel sounds in bird or earth | [ø] or [œ] |
| Å | the o in open or old | [o] or [ɔ] |
| Vocabulary | |
|---|---|
| har | has |
| vet | knows |
| sitter | sits |
| vi | we |
| dere | you (plural) |
| de | they |
| i | in |
| hva | what |
| hvor | where |
| her | here |
| der | there |
| Norge | Norway |
| et | a, an |
| et barn | a child |
| et eple | an apple |
| en katt | a cat |
| brød (n) | bread |
| vann (n) | water |
GREETINGS[]
No notes.
ACTIONS[]
Definite Forms[]
The definite form, the man, the woman, et cetera, is formed by attaching the indefinite article onto the end of the noun. This ending is called a postfix or a suffix.
| Indefinite | Definite | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| en mann | a man | mannen | the man |
| et barn | a child | barnet | the child |
Although the t is pronounced as such in the phrase et barn, it turns silent in the definite form, barnet, which is pronounced more like barneh. This is the case with all neuter nouns in the singular definite form. Be sure to drop the t sound, otherwise you might sound rather Swedish.
For feminine-classified nouns, there is one irregularity in the definite form:
| Indefinite | Definite | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ei kvinne or en kvinne | a woman | kvinna or kvinnen | the woman |
| ei jente or en jente | a girl | jenta or jenten | the girl |
Both jenta and jenten are appropriate translations for the girl. These same endings apply to all feminine nouns. Please consult the tips and notes section for the first lesson if you would like a review of the Norwegian grammatical genders.
Present[]
The present tense is used to describe things that are happening or are true now:
Jeg leser nå. I am reading now.
The present tense is also in general statements that are independent of time:
Jorda er rund. The earth is round.
For things that repeat and that are still recurring:
Jeg sover hver natt. I sleep every night.
The present tense can be used to talk about the future as well, especially when it is certain:
Jeg reiser i morgen. I leave tomorrow.
As a rule of thumb, you can use the present tense where you would use either the present (I leave tomorrow.) or present progressive (I am leaving tomorrow.) tenses in English.
You do not have to worry about person or number when dealing with verbs in Norwegian, the verb stays the same. This is even simpler than English where you have to remember to add the -s in the third person singular in the present tense.
Forming the present is extremely easy, just add the suffix -r to the infinitive (the form you'll find in the dictionary).
The table below shows you how to do it:
| Infinitive | Present | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| å spise | spiser | eat(s), am/are/is eating |
| å drikke | drikker | drink(s), am/are/is drinking |
| å se | ser | see(s), am/are/is seeing |
| Vocabulary | (Tree 4) |
|---|---|
| spiser | eats |
| drikker | drinks |
| leser | reads |
| liker | likes |
| ser | sees |
| kjøper | buys |
| noe | something |
| den | it |
| ei | a, an |
| en/ei bok | a book |
| et brev | a letter |
| ris (m) | rice |
| melk (m/f) | milk |
| gutten | the boy |
| jenta | the girl |
| mannen | the man |
| kvinnen | the woman |
| barnet | the child |
ANIMALS 1[]
Many animal names in Norwegian share etymological ties with English ones, but the meaning has drifted over time in one direction or another. Below are some examples.
Beware these false friends!
| Norwegian | Translation | Related Word |
|---|---|---|
| hund | dog | hound |
| fugl | bird | fowl |
| elg | moose | elk |
| dyr | animal | deer |
*In British English, "elg" and "elk" are actual cognates. In American English, "elk" refers to a different animal.
The following words are true friends, meaning that the words are similar in both spelling and meaning.
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| katt | cat |
| bjørn | bear |
| krabbe | crab |
| elefant | elephant |
| ulv | wolf |
| mus | mouse |
You know more Norwegian than you thought you did!
Grammatical and Biological Gender[]
After being introduced to nouns such as ei jente, en gutt, and et barn, you'd be forgiven for thinking that there was a correlation between a word's grammatical gender and its biological gender, or sex.
However, this is not the case. Grammatical gender is a completely independent concept. While en hund is a masculine noun, that does not imply that the dog we're referring to is male, that's just the grammatical gender of the word itself.
| Vocabulary | (Tree 4) |
|---|---|
| et dyr | an animal |
| en elg | a moose |
| en/ei and | a duck |
| en hest | a horse |
| en hund | a dog |
| en fugl | a bird |
| en bjørn | a bear |
| en edderkopp | a spider |
| en ulv | a wolf |
| elgen | the moose |
| katten | the cat |
| hesten | the horse |
| bjørnen | the bear |
| hunden | the dog |
| dyret | the animal |
| fuglen | the bird |
| anden | the duck |
| edderkoppen | the spider |
PHRASES[]
Common Phrases[]
We've compiled a list of common phrases in the Norwegian language, for your reference.
Many of them are idiomatic, meaning that they don't translate word for word to English. You'll have to learn the entire phrase.
One example is "Ha det bra!", which literally means "Have it good!", but idiomatically translates to "Goodbye!"
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| Hvordan har du det? | How are you? |
| Hvordan går det? | How is it going? |
| Bare bra, takk! | Just fine, thanks! |
| Jeg har det bra. | I'm doing well. |
| Ha det bra! | Goodbye! |
| Vi ses! | See you later! |
Norwegian Characters[]
By now, you're probably getting used to seeing the Norwegian vowels Æ, Ø and Å around.
| Vowel | Similar To | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Æ | the a in add or apple | [æ] |
| Ø | no real equivalent, but not far from the vowel sounds in bird or earth | [ø] or [œ] |
| Å | the o in open or old | [o] or [ɔ] |
If you're doing your Duolingo lessons on the app, you may need to install a Norwegian or international keyboard to type these. However, before you do so, try holding down A or O and see if they appear as options.
If you're doing your lessons on the web, you can either install a Norwegian keyboard, or just click the special characters displayed below the input field when you type your response.
When you have no other option, you can use these replacement characters, but don't get into the habit of relying on them, as it will be a hard one to break.
| Character | Replacement |
|---|---|
| Æ | AE |
| Ø | OE |
| Å | AA |
| Vocabulary | (Tree 4) |
|---|---|
| ha | have |
| unnskyld | sorry, excuse me, pardon |
| vær så snill | please, be so kind |
| takk | thank you, thanks |
| trenger | needs, requires |
| elsker | loves |
| ja | yes |
| nei | no |
| eller | or |
| kanskje | maybe, perhaps |
| tusen | (a) thousand |
| bra | good, nice |
| hyggelig | nice, pleasant |
| bare | only, just |
| en tur | a trip |
| en/ei natt | a night |
| en/ei helg | a weekend |
FOOD 1[]
Cooking[]
In this skill, you'll learn the verb lager, which translates to make. There's no separate verb for cooking, instead, we use lager mat, literally make food.
Han lager mat. He is cooking.
Measure Words[]
Remember that in Norwegian, the word for of, av, is omitted where one would normally use it in English to join a measure word with another noun.
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| en kopp kaffe | a cup of coffee |
| et glass vann | a glass of water |
Neat, huh?
| Vocabulary | (Tree 4) |
|---|---|
| å lage | to make |
| å lage mat | to cook |
| en fisk | a fish |
| et kjøtt | a meat |
| en pasta | a pasta |
| en/ei suppe | a soup |
| en kylling | a chicken |
| mat (m) | food |
| en frokost | a breakfast |
| en ost | a cheese |
| en frukt | a fruit |
| en tomat | a tomato |
| et glass | a glass |
| en øl | a (unit of) beer |
| et salt | a salt |
| et egg | an egg |
| et sukker | a sugar |
| en pepper | a pepper (not bell pepper!) |
PEOPLE 1[]
Object Pronouns[]
We were introduced to the Norwegian pronouns in the first skill. Let's have a look at them here:
| Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| jeg | I | vi | we |
| du | you (singular) | dere | you (plural) |
| han, hun, den/det | he, she, it | de | they |
As in English, the pronouns above only pertain to subjects. The pronouns at the receiving end of a verb, in other words the object pronouns, are as follows:
| Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| meg | me | oss | us |
| deg | you (singular) | dere | you (plural) |
| ham, henne, det/den | him, her, it | dem | them |
Den is used to mean it or that when referring back to a masculine or feminine subject.
Det is used to mean it or that when referring back to a neuter subject, and when introducing a brand new noun that has not yet been mentioned - regardless of the gender of that noun.
Han is an alternative form of ham, but in this course we will use "han" exclusively as a subject ("he"), and "ham" for the object form ("him").
| Vocabulary | (Tree 4) |
|---|---|
| viser | show |
| meg | me |
| deg | you (singular) |
| ham | him |
| henne | her |
| den (m/f) | it |
| det (n) | it |
| oss | us |
| dere | you (plural) |
| dem | them |
DEFINITES[]
Definite Forms[]
The definite form ("the man", "the woman", et cetera) is formed by placing the indefinite article, "a/an", or in Norwegian, "en/et", at the end of the word instead of at the beginning. This is called a postfix or a suffix.
| Indefinite | Definite | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| en mann | a man | mannen | the man |
| et barn | a child | barnet | the child |
For feminine-classified nouns, there is one irregularity:
| Indefinite | Definite | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ei kvinne OR en kvinne | a woman | kvinna OR kvinnen | the woman |
| ei jente OR en jente | a girl | jenta OR jenten | the girl |
Both jenta and jenten are appropriate translations for the girl. These same endings apply to all feminine nouns.
It is also normal to use the masculine article "en" for indefinite forms, even when preferring a feminine suffix in definite. This is not considered an error!
| Indefinite | Definite | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| en jente | a girl | jenta | the girl |
| en øy | an island | øya | the island |
| Vocabulary | (Tree 4) |
|---|---|
| -en | definite suffix: the |
| en/ei hytte | a cabin |
| osten | the cheese |
| egget | the egg |
| maten | the food |
| vannet | the water |
| brødet | the bread |
| suppen | the soup |
| pastaen | the pasta |
| saltet | the salt |
| fisken | the fish |
| brevet | the letter |
| kjøttet | the meat |
| sukkeret | the sugar |
| kyllingen | the chicken |
| eplet | the apple |
| frukten | the fruit |
| ølen | the beer |
| boken | the book |
| risen | the rice |
| tomaten | the tomato |
| avisen | the newspaper |
PLURALS[]
With few exceptions, most masculine or feminine nouns (most nouns) pluralize with -er or -r.
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| eple | apple |
| epler | apples |
| gutt | boy |
| gutter | boys |
| jente | girl |
| jenter | girls |
Single-syllable neuter nouns, such as hus house and dyr animal, often do not change spelling in the indefinite plural.
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| hus | house or houses |
| dyr | animal or animals |
| barn | child or children |
How then can you tell the difference between hus meaning house and hus meaning houses? That depends on context and adjective endings, which we will cover a bit later in the course.
One exception to these rules is the Norwegian word for "man" which pluralizes in an irregular way that's almost identical to English:
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| mann | man |
| menn | men |
Here are some additional common irregular plurals, a couple of which are also irregular in English.
| Singular | Plural | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| and | ender | duck - ducks |
| bok | bøker | book - books |
| fot | føtter | foot - feet |
| hånd | hender | hand - hands |
| natt | netter | night - nights |
| tann | tenner | tooth - teeth |
| tre | trær | tree - trees |
| Vocabulary | (Tree 4) |
|---|---|
| noen | some, any |
| flere | several, multiple, more |
| mange | many |
| en sykkel | a bicycle |
| katter | cats |
| aviser | newspapers |
| jenter | girls |
| fugler | birds |
| gutter | boys |
| hunder | dogs |
| ender | ducks |
| bøker | books |
| hester | horses |
| bjørner | bears |
| epler | apples |
| hytter | cabins |
| kvinner | women |
| kyllinger | chickens |
| dyr | animals |
| brev | letters |
| barn | children |
| menn | men |
| -er | indefinite plural suffix |
UNIT 2[]
DEFINITE PLURALS[]
With very few exceptions, all nouns can be converted to the definite plural form, i.e. the books, the cows, the dogs... by changing the -er ending on the plural form to an -ene ending:
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| hund | dog |
| hunden | the dog |
| hunder | dogs |
| hundene | the dogs |
Many neuter nouns do not have to follow this rule. Instead, they can become definite plurals by adding on an -a ending. The choice is yours, but the -ene ending is somewhat more common.
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| brev | letter or letters |
| brevet | the letter |
| brevene or breva | the letters |
Keep in mind that the word "barn" meaning "child" almost always becomes "barna" in the definite plural, although "barnene" is grammatically correct as well.
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| barn | child |
| barnet | the child |
| barn | children |
| barna | the children |
| Vocabulary | (Tree 4) |
|---|---|
| alle | all (of) |
| kattene | the cats |
| fuglene | the birds |
| endene | the ducks |
| guttene | the boys |
| hestene | the horses |
| kyllingene | the chickens |
| eplene | the apples |
| bøkene | the books |
| hundene | the dogs |
| mennene | the men |
| avisene | the newspapers |
| hyttene | the cabins |
| kvinnene | the women |
| dyrene | the animals |
PRESENT[]
The present tense is used to describe things that are happening or are true now:
Jeg leser nå. I am reading now.
The present tense is also in general statements that are independent of time:
Jorda er rund. The earth is round.
For things that repeat and that are still recurring:
Jeg sover hver natt. I sleep every night.
The present tense can be used to talk about the future as well, especially when it is certain:
Jeg reiser i morgen. I leave tomorrow.
As a rule of thumb, you can use the present tense where you would use either the present (I leave tomorrow.) or present progressive (I am leaving tomorrow.) tenses in English.
You do not have to worry about person or number when dealing with verbs in Norwegian, the verb stays the same. This is even simpler than English where you have to remember to add the -s in the third person singular in the present tense.
Forming the present is extremely easy, just add the suffix -r to the infinitive (the form you'll find in the dictionary).
The table below shows you how to do it:
| Group | Suffix | Infinitive | Present | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | -er | å vaske | vasker | wash(es), am/are/is washing |
| 2 | -er | å kjøre | kjører | drive(s), am/are/is driving |
| 3 | -r | å bo | bor | live(s), am/are/is living (as in making one's home somewhere) |
There are three groups of verbs with different patterns for forming tenses in Norwegian, but in the present case they all behave in the same way as you can see.
The Swiss Army Knife of Prepositions[]
In this skill, we introduce the preposition på - arguably the most important word in the Norwegian language. På has as many uses and translations as there are types of brunost in Norway, but the one you'll learn right now deals with specifying languages.
Specifying Language[]
På can be used to specify what language something is said or written in. When used in this meaning, it translates to in in English.
Hva betyr det på engelsk?
What does that mean in English?
Hva heter det på norsk?
What is that (called) in Norwegian?
Plurals Ending in -E[]
With few exceptions, most masculine or feminine nouns (most nouns) pluralize with -er or -r.
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| eple | apple |
| epler | apples |
| gutt | boy |
| gutter | boys |
| jente | girl |
| jenter | girls |
However, words that end in -er already, add an extra -e to signify the plural.
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| lærer | teacher |
| lærere | teachers |
| amerikaner | American |
| amerikanere | Americans |
| Vocabulary | (Tree 4) |
|---|---|
| gjør | does |
| sover | sleeps |
| hører | hears |
| velger | chooses, selects |
| leker | plays |
| selger | sells |
| arbeider | works |
| vasker | washes, cleans |
| skriver | writes |
| venter | waits, expects |
| når | when |
| om | about |
| på | in |
| en lærer | a teacher |
| en amerikaner | an American |
| en/ei mus | a mouse |
| barna | the children |
| jentene | the girls |
| brevene | the letters |
| -ene | the (definite suffix), assorted words |
THE CAFE[]
Getting Your Caffeine Fix[]
When ordering coffee at a cafe, you can simply say:
En kaffe, takk! A coffee, thanks!
Replace kaffe with espresso, americano, cappuccino or latte to get your coffee of choice. Loanword heaven!
Expressing Desire for Something[]
The verb for "want" is "vil" in Norwegian. When what you want is a noun, it needs to be accompanied by its friend "ha" ("have"). Where you in English could say either "I want [noun]" or "I want to have [noun]", it's always "Jeg vil ha [noun]".
Jeg vil ha et eple. I want (to have) an apple.
Later in the course, you'll come across "vil" followed by a verb in the infinitive, in which case you do not need to add "ha".
Jeg vil spise et eple. I want to eat an apple.
The Swiss Army Knife of Prepositions[]
In this skill, we reintroduce the preposition på in a second meaning. På has as many uses and translations as there are types of brunost in Norway, but the one you'll learn right now deals with physical location.
Describing Location[]
When used to describe location, på can translate to on, at, and sometimes even in, depending on the context. When translating, your best bet is opting for the preposition that sounds the most natural in English.
Vi sitter på kaféen.
We are sitting at the cafe.
Hun sitter på stolen.
She is sitting on the chair.
Specifying Language[]
På can also be used to specify what language something is said or written in. When used in this meaning, it translates to in in English.
Hva betyr det på engelsk?
What does that mean in English?
Hva heter det på norsk?
What is that (called) in Norwegian?
So, if you order your coffee på norsk, you're ordering it in Norwegian.
| Vocabulary | |
|---|---|
| vil | wants |
| ha | (to) have |
| står | stands |
| bestiller | orders |
| hvordan | how |
| med | with |
| på | on, at |
| utenfor | outside (of) |
| mer | more |
| en is | an ice-cream |
| en te | a tea |
| en kafé | a cafe |
| en brus | a soda, a pop, a fizzy drink |
| en drikk | a drink, a beverage |
| et jordbær | a strawberry |
| en sitron | a lemon |
| en stol | a chair |
| et bord | a table |
| en kaffe | a coffee |
| en lunsj | a lunch |
| en kopp | a cup |
| en/ei kake | a cake |
COUNTING[]
Welcome to Counting! Norwegian numbers are very easy for English speakers to learn in comparison to other languages. There is no tricky system or crazy multiplication weirdness. The numbers sound and work in a similar way as they do in English.
The most common word for seven is sju, but you may also hear the word syv used, which is decidedly less common. Be careful not to confuse it with the word tjue, which means twenty.
One and One More[]
So far, you've seen the articles en (masculine) ei (feminine) and et (neuter) used to to mean a or an. These also do double duty as numbers, translating to one.
If you want more of something countable, you can use the adverb til. You then combine it with a number: en til becomes one more or another, to til becomes two more, and so on.
When specifying exactly what you want, by adding a noun, the number goes before the noun, while til goes after, like so: en kopp til (one more cup).
| Vocabulary | (Tree 4) |
|---|---|
| til | more |
| en | one |
| to | two |
| tre | three |
| fire | four |
| fem | five |
| seks | six |
| sju | seven |
| åtte | eight |
| ni | nine |
| ti | ten |
CASUAL 1[]
Til & Fra[]
This skill introduces two new prepositions, "til" and "fra". Not to worry, though, as these both act predictably in this context, corresponding to "to" and "from" respectively. These work both for describing direction in a geographical sense, and in other contexts such as when giving a gift, talking to someone, or expressing where someone or something is from.
"Snakker du til meg?"
"Are you talking to me?"
"Vi flyr til Norge."
"We are flying to Norway."
"Jeg er fra England."
"I am from England."
"Han gir en gave til jenta."
"He gives a gift to the girl."
| Vocabulary | |
|---|---|
| tror | thinks, believes |
| sier | says |
| lytter | listens |
| ringer | calls, rings |
| kommer | comes |
| betyr | means, signifies |
| til | to |
| fra | from |
| nå | now |
| snart | soon, shortly |
| ofte | often |
| aldri | never |
| hallo | hello |
| hvorfor | why |
| hvordan går det | how is it going, how are you |
| det går ... | it is going..., I am... |
| en mamma | a mom |
| en pappa | a dad |
| en nabo | a neighbor |
| en gjest | a guest, a visitor |
POSSESSIVES[]
Possessive Pronouns[]
Possessive pronouns change depending on the gender and number of the possessor and the possessed.
My[]
The Definite Form[]
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| faren min | mora mi | barnet mitt | foreldrene mine |
| my father | my mother | my child | my parents |
The above form takes the definite form of the noun and places the possessive pronoun after it. This is the more common form in colloquial Norwegian, and the one you will encounter most often.
- Faren min er fargeblind.
- My father is colorblind.
Another form is as follows:
The Indefinite Form[]
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| min far | mi mor | mitt barn | mine foreldre |
| my father | my mother | my child | my parents |
This form takes the possessive pronoun and places it before the indefinite form of the noun. This form is considered more formal and places special emphasis on the possessor.
- Mitt barn er perfekt.
- My child is perfect.
Your (Singular)[]
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| faren din | mora di | barnet ditt | foreldrene dine |
| din far | di mor | ditt barn | dine foreldre |
| your father | your mother | your child | your parents |
- Hvem er foreldrene dine?
- Who are your parents?
His[]
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| faren hans | mora hans | barnet hans | foreldrene hans |
| hans far | hans mor | hans barn | hans foreldre |
| his father | his mother | his child | his parents |
- Hunden hans er vennlig.
- His dog is friendly.
Her[]
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| faren hennes | mora hennes | barnet hennes | foreldrene hennes |
| hennes far | hennes mor | hennes barn | hennes foreldre |
| her father | her mother | her child | her parents |
- Hva heter barnet hennes?
- What is her child's name?
Our[]
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| faren vår | mora vår | barnet vårt | foreldrene våre |
| vår far | vår mor | vårt barn | våre foreldre |
| our father | our mother | our child | our parents |
- Vi elsker døtrene våre.
- We love our daughters.
Your (Plural)[]
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| faren deres | mora deres | barnet deres | foreldrene deres |
| deres far | deres mor | deres barn | deres foreldre |
| your (pl.) father | your (pl.) mother | your (pl.) child | your (pl.) parents |
- Hvor kommer familien deres fra?
- Where does your family come from?
Their[]
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| faren deres | mora deres | barnet deres | foreldrene deres |
| deres far | deres mor | deres barn | deres foreldre |
| their father | their mother | their child | their parents |
Datamaskinen deres fungerer ikke.
- Their computer does not work.
Notice how deres can mean your (pl.) or their. You will be able to tell the difference through context.
| Vocabulary | (Tree 4) |
|---|---|
| eier | owns |
| tilhører | belongs |
| mi/min/mitt/mine | my, mine |
| di/din/ditt/dine | your, yours |
| vår/vårt/våre | our, ours |
| hans | his |
| hennes | her, hers |
| deres | their, theirs |
| et rom | a room |
| et navn | a name |
| en telefon | a telephone |
Location[]
To describe where something is, Norwegian often forgoes the verb to be in favor of to stand or to lie. Most often, upright objects with legs, such as beds, stand, while other objects, especially those on their side, tend to lie, just like in English.
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| Sengen står på gulvet. | The bed [stands/is] on the floor. |
| Hunden ligger på gulvet. | The dog [lies/is] on the floor. |
CLOTHING[]
This lesson introduces you to clothing as well as the Norwegian word seg. This word is the reflexive pronoun for all third-person nouns, himself, herself, themselves, etc. It is used in many verbs. In fact, the reflexive is far more common in Norwegian than in English.
For clothing, one uses har på seg to describe what someone is wearing. It literally means, have on oneself and is the equivalent of the English, have on.
- Hun har på seg en hatt.
- She has on (herself) a hat.
- She's wearing a hat.
That and Those[]
We learned early on how to describe definite nouns with the appropriate gender- and number-specific suffixes.
| Gender | Norwegian | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | stolen | the chair |
| Feminine | boka | the book |
| Neuter | bordet | the table |
| Plural | husene | the houses |
In order to specify further with the word that or those, all we do is add one gender- and number-specific word to the mix.
That & Those[]
| Gender | Norwegian | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | den stolen | that chair |
| Feminine | den boka | that book |
| Neuter | det bordet | that table |
| Plural | de husene | those houses |
DIRECTION AND MOTION[]
In Norwegian, adverbs of place that describe where something is change when they become adverbs of motion and describe where something moves. Below are some examples:
| Existence | Translation | Motion | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| er hjemme | is at home | går hjem | goes home |
| er inne | is inside | går inn | goes in |
| er ute | is outside | går ut | goes out |
| er oppe | is up | går opp | goes up |
| er nede | is down below | går ned | goes down |
Be careful to use the proper adverb for each situation. For most of the words above, the endings fall off when in motion. Think of them like a pocket book on top of a car. The car moves, so the pocket book falls off.
| Existence | Translation | Motion | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| er her | is here | går hit | goes here |
| er der | is there | går dit | goes there |
The words hit and dit are related to the antiquated English words hither and thither, which used to describe here and there in motion. English no longer uses this construct, but Norwegian still does.
PREPOSITIONS[]
As in English, all prepositions in Norwegian stand before the noun. Below is a reference sheet for the prepositions introduced in this chapter.
| Norwegian | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| til | of | Used with possession. |
| av | of, off | Used with fractions or two-part verbs. |
| for | for, to | Often does not translate directly. |
| med | with | Pronounced like meh but in a neutral tone. |
| uten | without | |
| unntatt | except | Literally, "taken out." |
| i stedet for | instead of | |
| ved hjelp av | using | |
| for ... skyld | for ...'s sake | |
| overfor | opposite |
Adjectives[]
Norwegian adjectives change for gender, number, indefinite and definite forms. Let's take a look at adjectives join to nouns by the phrase to be, starting with the adjective stor, which means big or great.
THE INDEFINITE FORM[]
| Gender | Norwegian | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | En stol er stor. | A chair is big. |
| Feminine | Ei bok er stor. | A book is big. |
So far, so good. There is no change to the adjective in either masculine or feminine form.
| Gender | Norwegian | English | Neuter | Et bord er stort. | A table is big. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plural | Hus er store. | Houses are big. |
As you can see above, the neuter noun changes the spelling of stor to include a -tending, and the plural noun changes stor to include an -e ending. This pattern applies to most adjectives in the indefinite form, as shown below.
| Gender | Norwegian | English | Masculine | en stor stol | a big chair |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feminine | ei stor bok | a big book | |||
| Neuter | et stort bord | a big table | |||
| Plural | store hus | big houses |
Many adjectives ending in -ig or -sk, like viktig and norsk, do not sound pleasant with a -t ending. This is why we do not add a -t to these specific adjectives in the neuter form.
| Norwegian | English | et viktig brev | an important letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| et norsk hus | a Norwegian house |
We do still add the -e ending in the plural form, however!
| Norwegian | English | viktige brev | important letters |
|---|---|---|---|
| norske hus | Norwegian houses |
THE DEFINITE FORM[]
The simple thing about adjectives in the definite form is that the endings are almost all the same.
Most adjectives in the definite form end in -e.
In addition to the noun transitioning into the definite form, we place an additional word before the adjective in the definite form. This word changes depending on gender and number, as you see below.
| Gender | Norwegian | English | Masculine | den store stolen | the big chair |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feminine | den store boka | the big book | |||
| Neuter | det store bordet | the big table | |||
| Plural | de store husene | the big houses |
Missing Endings in Old and Famous Names[]
As students of Danish may be aware, the postfixes after the nouns above are absent in Danish, and as a legacy of Danish colonialism, some Norwegian phrases lack the noun endings shown in the table above. These words are generally famous titles or institutions, such as The White House or The French Academy. See how they operate below.
| Norwegian | English | Det franske akademi | The French Academy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Det hvite hus | The White House |
Note that det hvite huset can also mean the white house, just not the one the US President lives inside.
COMBINING POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS WITH ADJECTIVES[]
There are two ways to combine possessive pronouns with adjectives. The possessive pronoun can either follow the noun in the definite form or precede the adjective. Let's take a look at how this works.
| Gender | Norwegian | English | Masculine | den store stolen min | my big chair |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feminine | den store boka mi | my big book | |||
| Neuter | det store bordet mitt | my big table | |||
| Plural | de store husene mine | my big houses |
| Gender | Norwegian | English | Masculine | min store stol | my big chair |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feminine | mi store bok | my big book | |||
| Neuter | mitt store bord | my big table | |||
| Plural | mine store hus | my big houses |
In the second set of examples, notice how the adjective endings are all -e, just like in the definite form, but the nouns have no endings, just like in the indefinite form. In a sense, this second method of combining possessive pronouns and adjectives is a blending of grammar rules.
LITEN[]
The adjective liten meaning little or small is the most highly irregular adjective in the Norwegian language. Take a look at how it declines. Commit this table to memory, because as in English, the word small is used a lot.
| Gender | Norwegian | English | Masculine | en liten stol | a small chair |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| den lille stolen | the small chair | ||||
| Feminine | ei lita bok | a small book | |||
| den lille boka | the small book | ||||
| Neuter | et lite bord | a small table | |||
| det lille bordet | the small table | ||||
| Plural | små hus | small houses | |||
| de små husene | the small houses |
Pay special attention to context, and in time, these adjective endings become second nature.
Colors as adjectives[]
Below is a reference chart for all of the most basic Norwegian colors.
| Norwegian | English | hvit | white |
|---|---|---|---|
| grå | gray | ||
| svart | black | ||
| brun | brown | ||
| rød | red | ||
| rosa | pink | ||
| oransje | orange | ||
| gul | yellow | ||
| grønn | green | ||
| blå | blue | ||
| lilla | purple |
Most colors change their endings for gender and number, like most other adjectives in Norwegian.
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | en brun stol | ei brun bok | et brunt bord | brune hus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| en gul stol | ei gul bok | et gult bord | gule hus | ||||
| en grønn stol | ei grønn bok | et grønt bord | grønne hus |
Certain colors are irregular, however, in certain situations.
The words hvit, grå and blå have an extra -t in their neuter forms, and grå and blå also have the option of omitting the plural ending.
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | en hvit stol | ei hvit bok | et hvitt bord | hvite hus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| en grå stol | ei grå bok | et grått bord | grå(e) hus | ||||
| en blå stol | ei blå bok | et blått bord | blå(e) hus |
Unlike most adjectives, the words rosa, oransje, and lilla never change for gender or number. They always remain the same.
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | en rosa stol | ei rosa bok | et rosa bord | rosa hus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| en oransje stol | ei oransje bok | et oransje bord | oransje hus | ||||
| en lilla stol | ei lilla bok | et lilla bord | lilla hus |
Colors as nouns[]
Colors can also be nouns. In that case they look a lot like the neuter form of the adjective:
| Norwegian | English | hvitt | white |
|---|---|---|---|
| grått | gray | ||
| svart | black | ||
| brunt | brown | ||
| rødt | red | ||
| rosa | pink | ||
| oransje | orange | ||
| gult | yellow | ||
| grønt | green | ||
| blått | blue | ||
| lilla | purple |
FAMILY[]
Welcome to the family skill! Family words are some of the most common in Norwegian, but also some of the most irregular. Pay attention to how the following words pluralize.
| English | Indef. Sing. | Def. Sing. | Indef. Plur. | Def. Plur. | father | far | faren | fedre | fedrene |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mother | mor | moren | mødre | mødrene | |||||
| brother | bror | broren | brødre | brødrene | |||||
| sister | søster | søsteren | søstre | søstrene |
In Norwegian, each grandparent has a unique name that's very intuitive.
| Norwegian | English | mormor | mother's mother |
|---|---|---|---|
| morfar | mother's father | ||
| farmor | father's mother | ||
| farfar | father's father |
Bestemor is the generic term for grandmother.
Bestefar is in turn the generic term for grandfather.
TIME[]
In order to ask what time it is, you may ask,
Hva er klokka?
or literally, What is the clock?
The response will be something like,
Klokka er to.
which means the clock is two, or in other words,
It's two o'clock.
Several Norwegian expressions of time use the preposition i in combination with a noun. These must be learned independently and treated as completely separate from the nouns they're used with. For example:
| Norwegian | English | i dag | today |
|---|---|---|---|
| i kveld | tonight | ||
| i morgen | tomorrow | ||
| i morgen tidlig | tomorrow morning | ||
| i går | yesterday | ||
| i år | this year | ||
| i fjor | last year |
Dates[]
Below are the days of the week. The reason they're so similar to English is because English gets most of the words for the days of the week from the names of Norse gods. Keep in mind that the days of the week, unlike English, are only capitalized at the beginning of the sentence. The g at the end of these words may or may not be pronounced.
| Norwegian | English | mandag | Monday |
|---|---|---|---|
| tirsdag | Tuesday | ||
| onsdag | Wednesday | ||
| torsdag | Thursday | ||
| fredag | Friday | ||
| lørdag | Saturday | ||
| søndag | Sunday |
These are the months of the year, also normally in lower-case. Keep in mind the RS sound in mars makes it sound like marsh. This RS letter combination creates an SH sound in the Norwegian language.
| Norwegian | English | januar | January |
|---|---|---|---|
| februar | February | ||
| mars | March | ||
| april | April | ||
| mai | May | ||
| juni | June | ||
| juli | July | ||
| august | August | ||
| september | September | ||
| oktober | October | ||
| november | November | ||
| desember | December |
Work[]
Unlike in English, Norwegian usually drops the indefinite article when describing someone's profession.
| Norwegian | English | Jeg er student. | I am a student. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hun er lege. | She is a doctor. | ||
| Han er forfatter. | He is a writer. |
Be mindful that constructions such as jeg er en student are also grammatical, but they are far less common.
INFINITIVES[]
To infinitives, and beyond!
Most infinitive verbs in Norwegian end in the stem -e. There are many, many exceptions, however. A few modal constructions exist that link to infinitive verbs directly, such as kanand vil.
| Norwegian | English | Jeg kan spise. | I can eat. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hun vil finne katten. | She wants to find the cat. |
Many infinitives link with other parts of the sentence with the word å, which translates to to, as in, å se or to see. This applies to all situations where an infinitive is present without a modal verb.
| Norwegian | English | Det er viktig å lese. | It is important to read. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Han liker å lage mat. | He likes to cook. |
You may have noticed that in the final sentence above, the verb å lage mat could have easily translated to cooking, and you would be correct. Sometimes an infinitive beginning with an å can act like a gerund, which is nerd for a noun ending in -ing.
QUESTIONS[]
Yes-No Questions[]
All yes-no questions in Norwegian can be asked by simply switching the subject and the verb, much like with the English verb to be.
| Norwegian | English | Du har en hund. | You have a dog. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Har du en hund? | Do you have a dog? | ||
| Ja, det har jeg. | Yes, I do. | ||
| Nei, det har jeg ikke. | No, I do not. |
As shown above, you can answer such a such a question either in the affirmative ja or the negative nei. Often the verb from the question, here har, is repeated in the reply.
Jo exists as a way to negate an assertion implied in a negative question, as if to say, on the contrary.
| Norwegian | English | Har du ikke en bror? | Do you not have a brother? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jo, det har jeg. | Yes, as a matter of fact I do. |
Question Words[]
Below are words that begin questions as they do in English:
| Norwegian | English | Hva? | What? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hva slags? | What kind? | ||
| Hvem? | Who? | ||
| Hvor? | Where? | ||
| Hvorfor? | Why? | ||
| Når? | When? | ||
| Hvordan? | How? | ||
| Hvor mye? | How much? | ||
| Hvor mange? | How many? |
Just like in English, these question words send the subject to the other side of the verb.
| Norwegian | English | Hva er det? | What is it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hvem er du? | Who are you? |
Keep in mind some constructions cannot be translated word-for-word.
| Norwegian | English | Hvor leser de? | Where are they reading? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hvorfor spiser du det? | Why are you eating that? |
WHICH[]
The word which is used somewhat more often in Norwegian than it is in English. If the word which can be used in English, always use a form of hvilken for the Norwegian translation.
| Norwegian | English | Hvilken bok leser du? | What book are you reading? |
|---|
Below are all the forms of hvilken, meaning which (and sometimes what, as shown above).
| Language | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | Norwegian | hvilken stol? | hvilken bok? | hvilket bord? | hvilke hus? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | which chair? | which book? | which table? | which houses? |
By now, you should be getting a feel for the patterns that dominate Norwegian grammar in reference to gender and number.
CONJUNCTIONS[]
Below is a short list of some of the most common conjunctions in the Norwegian language.
| Norwegian | English | og | and |
|---|---|---|---|
| men | but | ||
| eller | or | ||
| at | that | ||
| fordi | because | ||
| om | whether, if (binary plausibility) | ||
| hvis | if (cause and effect) |
Norwegian conjunctions act very similarly to English ones, with a couple of special rules.
Ikke[]
Keep in mind that in dependent clauses, the negation ikke gets pulled to a position in-between the subject and the main verb. This occurs with several other constructions as well. This is one weird quirk with Norwegian grammar, but it will sound natural after a while.
| Norwegian | English | Hun er ikke her. | She is not here. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeg vet at hun ikke er her. | I know that she is not here. |
Isn't that interesting?
V-2 Word Order[]
The V-2 Rule is a linguistic law that applies to all Germanic languages... except English. You can see a rare instance of it in English in the expression here comes the bus. This rule states that all sentences that are statements, in other words not questions, must have a verb in the second position. This allows for some flexibility in the word order for emphasis. What it essentially means is that Norwegian verbs refuse to move from the second position in statements.
The V-2 Rule applies to dependent clauses that begin sentences. In this specific situation, the whole dependent clause is treated as being in the first position, so the verb in the independent clause comes immediately after it, in the second position, followed by the subject in the independent clause.
| Norwegian | English | Du (1) må (2) støtte meg. | You must support me. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hvis du vil hjelpe meg (1) , må (2) du støtte meg. | If you want to help me, you must support me. |
This may sound jarring, but this rule of inversion becomes easy enough after some exposure.
| Norwegian | English | Jeg (1) snakker (2) ikke norsk. | I do not speak Norwegian. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selv om jeg er nordmann (1) , snakker(2) jeg ikke norsk. | Even though I am Norwegian, I do not speak Norwegian. |
If you think this word order is weird, try German.
Adverbs[]
In Norwegian, adverbs usually follow the verb.
| Norwegian | English | Du snakker godt norsk! | You speak Norwegian well! |
|---|
One exception is that adverbs of time often appear at the end of the sentence or clause.
| Norwegian | English | Jeg har tid nå. | I have time now. |
|---|
Another exception is related to the V-2 Rule in Germanic linguistics, which applies to all Germanic languages... besides English. You can see a rare instance of it in English in the expression here comes the bus. This rule states that all sentences that are statements, in other words not questions, must have a verb in the second position. This allows for some flexibility in the word order for emphasis, but don't get crazy.
| Norwegian | English | Jeg har tid nå. | I have time now. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeg har nå tid. | I now have time. | ||
| Nå har jeg tid. | Now I have time. |
The final example is a demonstration of the V-2 Rule. When the adverb moved to the front of the statement, the subject moved to the other side of the verb har. This is because Norwegian verbs refuse to move from the second position in statements.
