This lesson goes over the three grammatical genders and plural nouns in Norwegian as well as how the gender of a noun affects adjectives, demonstratives, and possessive pronouns.
Grammar Review
Sentence structure
While most Norwegian sentences use the subject-verb-object (SVO) word order, like English does, Norwegian does have the V2 (verb second) rule. If an adverbial phrase or subordinate clause is at the front of the sentence, the subject and the verb have to switch places (this is called “inversion”) so that the verb stays in the second position.
| Eksempel | English | |
|---|---|---|
SVO |
Erik syklet på jobb i går. |
Erik biked to work yesterday. |
Nora leser ei bok i lunsjpausen sin. |
Nora reads a book during her lunch break. |
|
V2 |
I går syklet Erik på jobb. |
Yesterday, Erik biked to work. |
I lunsjpausen sin leser Nora ei bok. |
During her lunch break, Nora reads a book. |
If a sentence has more than one verb, the second verb will be in a nonfinite form (e.g. å finne). If the sentence has inversion, then the subject will come between the finite (i.e. conjugated) verb and the nonfinite verb.
| Eksempel | English | |
|---|---|---|
SVO |
Jakob begynte å lage middag da han kom hjem. |
Jakob started making dinner when he came home. |
Sofia lærte å svømme i fjor sommer. |
Sofia learned to swim last summer. |
|
V2 |
Da Jakob kom hjem, begynte han å lage middag. |
When Jakob came home, he started making dinner. |
I fjor sommer lærte Sofia å svømme. |
Last summer, Sofia learned to swim. |
Verb Conjugation
Conjugating present tense of verbs in Norwegian is fairly simple. Most present tense verbs just add an -r to the end of the infinitive.
| Infinitive | Present | English | Infinitive | Present | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Å kjøpe |
Kjøper |
Buys / Buying |
Å sykle |
Sykler |
Bikes / Biking |
Å lese |
Leser |
Reads / Reading |
Å studere |
Studerer |
Studies / Studying |
There are some exceptions / irregulars:
Infinitive |
Present |
English |
Infinitive |
Present |
English |
Å kunne |
Kan |
To be able to |
Å måtte |
Må |
To have to |
Å skulle |
Skal |
To have to; to be going to |
Å ville |
Vil |
To want |
Å være |
Er |
To be |
Å vite |
Vet |
To know |
Past tense conjugation is a bit more difficult, however there are some guidelines (but keep in mind there are exceptions).
-
If the verb ends with a double consonant, consonant cluster, or voiced plosive (b / d), past tense will end in -et.
-
If the verb ends in a single consonant (except v / b / d), past tense ends in -te.
-
If the verb ends with v or diphthong, the past tense ends in -de.
-
If the verb has only one syllable with a long vowel, past tense ends in -dde.
Rule Number |
Infinitive |
Past Tense |
English |
1 |
Å snakke |
Snakket |
Talked |
Å ønske |
Ønsket |
Wished |
|
2 |
Å lære |
Lærte |
Learned |
Å kjøpe |
Kjøpte |
Bought |
|
3 |
Å leve |
Levde |
Lived |
Å pleie |
Pleide |
Used |
|
4 |
Å bo |
Bodde |
Lived |
For future tense, typically the present tense verb is used with a time adverbial to clarify it is a future action.
Eksempel |
English |
Hun kjører til Oslo i morgen. |
She is driving to Oslo tomorrow. |
Jeg jobber neste helg. |
I am working next weekend. |
Adjective Basics
Adjectives typically have to agree with the gender and the number of the noun.
| Singular Indefinite | Plural Indefinite | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Norwegian |
English |
Norwegian |
English |
|
Masculine |
En rød fugl |
A red bird |
Røde fugler |
Red birds |
En grønn sirkel |
A green circle |
Grønne sirkler |
Green circles |
|
Feminine |
Ei rød hytte |
A red cabin |
Røde hytter |
Red cabins |
Ei grønn drakt |
A green costume |
Grønne drakter |
Green costumes |
|
Neuter |
Et rødt lys |
A red light |
Røde lys |
Red lights |
Et grønt rektangel |
A green rectangle |
Grønne rektangler |
Green rectangles |
|
When the noun is in the definite form, the adjective usually takes an -e ending (like in the plural indefinite above).
| Singular Definite | Plural Definite | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Norwegian |
English |
Norwegian |
English |
|
Masculine |
Den røde fuglen |
The red bird |
De røde fuglene |
The red birds |
Denne grønne sirkelen |
This green circle |
Disse grønne sirkelene |
These green circles |
|
Feminine |
Den røde hytta |
The red cabin |
De røde hyttene |
The red cabins |
Denne grønne drakta |
This green costume |
Disse grønne draktene |
These green costumes |
|
Neuter |
Det røde lyset |
The red light |
De røde lysa / lysene |
The red lights |
Dette grønne rektanglet |
This green rectangle |
Disse grønne rektangla / rektanglene |
These green rectangles |
|
Norwegian Articles and Grammatical Gender
Unlike English, many languages have grammatical genders for their nouns. And in many of those languages, it is fairly easy to recognize what gender a noun is. Unfortunately, this is not the case with Norwegian. Norwegian has three grammatical genders for words: masculine, feminine, and neuter, and the only way to know which gender a noun is, is by memorization. We’ll look at singular nouns first.
Indefinite
The indefinite articles are: “en” for masculine gender nouns, “ei” for feminine, and “et” for neuter.
NOTE: In some dialects, “en” is used for feminine gender nouns, instead of “ei.” This is also allowed for written bokmål.
Masculine |
English |
Feminine |
English |
Neuter Gender |
English |
En mann |
A man |
Ei / en bok |
A book |
Et hus |
A house |
En katt |
A cat |
Ei / en avis |
A newspaper |
Et eple |
An apple |
En bil |
A car |
Ei / en hytte |
A cabin |
Et kontor |
An office |
The indefinite form of a noun is used similarly in Norwegian as in English. However, when the noun is a profession, occupation, or office, the article is dropped.
Ex. Jeg er elektriker.
I am an electrician.
Definite
The grammatical gender of a noun determines the definite form of a word. In the definite form, the indefinite article (for masculine and neuter) gets added to the end of the word. For feminine nouns, the article changes to “a” and gets added to the end.
Masculine Gender |
English |
Feminine Gender |
English |
Neuter Gender |
English |
Mannen |
The man |
Boka |
The book |
Huset |
The house |
Katten |
The cat |
Avisa |
The newspaper |
Eplet |
The apple |
Bilen |
The car |
Hytta |
The cabin |
Kontoret |
The office |
NOTE: If you use “en” in the feminine form for the indefinite, then in the definite form, the “en” article gets added to the end of the word (though some dialects use “en” for indefinite and the -a ending for definite).
Ei Indefinite |
Ei Definite |
En Indefinite |
En Definite |
English Indefinite |
English Definite |
Ei kvinne |
Kvinna |
En kvinne |
Kvinnen |
A woman |
The woman |
Ei bokhylle |
Bokhylla |
En bokhylle |
Bokhyllen |
A bookshelf |
The bookshelf |
I often see people ask how to learn the gender of the nouns. My suggestion is to memorize the nouns in the definite form, then you will know, based on the end of the word, what the word’s gender is. For example, memorize “mannen” for “the man” instead of just memorizing “mann.”’
Plurals
Norwegian has three different forms for plurals: -(e)r; -e; and no ending. The majority of nouns take the -(e)r ending in the plural form.
Ending |
Singular |
Plural |
English |
-(e)r |
En bil |
Biler |
Cars |
Ei hytte |
Hytter |
Cabins |
|
Et eple |
Epler |
Apples |
|
-e |
En finger |
Fingre |
Fingers |
Et øye |
Øyne |
Eyes |
|
No ending |
En fisk |
Fisk |
Fish |
Ei mus |
Mus |
Mice |
|
Et dyr |
Dyr |
Animals |
There are many nouns that have a vowel change in the plural form.
Ending |
Singular |
Plural |
English |
-(e)r |
En tann |
Tenner |
Teeth |
En hånd |
Hender |
Hands |
|
Ei bok |
Bøker |
Books |
|
-e |
En far |
Fedre |
Fathers |
En bror |
Brødre |
Brothers |
|
En mor |
Mødre |
Mothers |
|
Ei datter |
Døtre |
Daughters |
|
No ending |
En mann |
Menn |
Men |
Et tre |
Trær |
Trees |
Many nouns in the singular form, that end in -el, -en, or -er, drop the -e- from the stem in the plural form. If the noun has a double consonant in singular, it usually becomes a single consonant in plural.
Ending |
Singular |
Plural |
English |
-(e)r |
En sykkel |
Sykler |
Bicycles |
Et eksempel |
Eksempler |
Examples |
|
-e |
Ei datter |
Døtre |
Daughters |
Ei søster |
Søstre |
Sisters |
Plural Endings in the Definite Form
The plural ending for most nouns in the definite form is -(e)ne for all genders.
Gender |
Singular Indefinite |
Plural Indefinite |
Plural Definite |
English |
Masculine |
En bil |
Biler |
Bilene |
The cars |
En finger |
Fingre |
Fingrene |
The fingers |
|
En mann |
Menn |
Mennene |
The men |
|
Feminine |
Ei hytte |
Hytter |
Hyttene |
The cabins |
Ei avis |
Aviser |
Avisene |
The newspapers |
|
Ei datter |
Døtre |
Døtrene |
The daughters |
|
Neuter |
Et eple |
Epler |
Eplene |
The apples |
Et tre |
Trær |
Trærne |
The trees |
|
Et eksempel |
Eksempler |
Eksemplene |
The examples |
NOTE: Most neuter nouns can take an -a ending in the definite plural form. A common one is for “child.”
Eksempel |
English |
|
Singular Indefinite |
Et barn |
A child |
Plural Indefinite |
Barn |
Children |
Singular Definite |
Barnet |
The child |
Plural Definite |
Barna* |
The children |
*NOTE: “Barnene” is allowed however it is not very common.
Compound Nouns
When a noun is a compound, it always takes the gender of the second noun in the compound.
First Noun |
Second Noun |
Compound Word |
English |
En skole |
Et kjøkken |
Et skolekjøkken |
A school kitchen |
Et kjøkken |
En kniv |
En kjøkkenkniv |
A kitchen knife |
Adjectives
As we learned earlier, gender affects the adjectives that describe a noun since the adjective typically has to agree with the gender and number of the noun. For example, for neuter nouns, the adjective usually gets a -t ending added. For plural nouns (regardless of gender), the adjective usually takes an -e ending and the noun must retain the definite article at the end. .
| Masculine | English | Feminine | English | Neuter | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
En stor bil |
A big car |
Ei stor bok |
A big book |
Et stort hus |
A big house |
Store biler |
Big cars |
Store bøker |
Big books |
Store hus |
Big houses |
Den store bilen |
The big car |
Den store boka |
The big book |
Det store huset |
The big house |
Den røde bilen |
The red car |
Den røde hytta |
The red cabin |
Det røde huset |
The red house |
De søte kattene |
The sweet cats |
De gamle avisene |
The old newspapers |
De brune husene |
The brown houses |
There are some exceptions to these rules. For additional information on adjectives, check this lesson.
As seen in the above table, gender also affects what demonstrative pronoun (den, det, de) is used when drawing attention to a specific thing or when an adjective is used.
Gender |
Example |
English |
Masculine |
Den bilen er min. |
That car is mine. |
Denne bilen er min. |
This car is mine. |
|
Disse bilene er mine. |
These cars are mine |
|
Feminine |
Den boka er mi. |
That book is mine. |
Denne boka er mi. |
This book is mine. |
|
Disse bøkene er mine. |
These books are mine. |
|
Neuter |
Det eplet er ditt. |
That apple is yours. |
Dette eplet er ditt. |
This apple is yours. |
|
Disse eplene er dine. |
These apples are yours. |
NOTE: When a demonstrative pronoun is used, the noun still takes the definite ending.
Additionally, gender determines what pronouns you use when you want to express something belongs to you or someone else. Note that in Norwegian, the pronoun is usually placed after the noun and the noun retains the definite ending.
Gender |
Example |
English |
Masculine |
Katten min |
My cat |
Hatten din |
Your hat |
|
Bilen sin |
His / her / their (own) car |
|
Hunden vår |
Our dog |
|
Feminine |
Boka mi |
My book |
Avisa di |
Your newspaper |
|
Boka si |
His / her / their (own) book |
|
Hytta vår |
Our cabin |
|
Neuter |
Eplet ditt |
Your apple |
Huset mitt |
My house |
|
Barnet sitt |
His / her / their (own) child |
|
Huset vårt |
Our house |
NOTE: “Sin / si / sitt / sine” are reflexive possessive pronouns, meaning the subject of the sentence owns the object being discussed. If the object belongs to someone other than the subject, then “hans / hennes / deres” is used and it does not change based on the grammatical gender of the object.
| Eksempel | English | Eksempel | English |
|---|---|---|---|
Han kysser kona sin. |
He is kissing his (own) wife. |
Han kysser kona hans. |
He is kissing his (someone else’s) wife. |
Kvinna kjører bilen sin. |
The woman is driving her (own) car. |
Kvinna kjører bilen hennes. |
The woman is driving her (someone else’s) car. |
Barnet spiller spillet sitt. |
The child is playing his (own) game. |
Barnet spiller spillet hans. |
The child is playing his (someone else’s) game. |
Koret synger sangene sine. |
The choir is singing their (own) songs. |
Koret synger sangene deres. |
The choir is singing their (someone else’s) songs. |
It is possible to put the pronoun before the noun (without the definite ending), however this is usually only used when one wants to emphasize who the thing belongs to.
Ex: Hunden min er brun. Vs Det er min hund!
My dog is brown. That is my dog!
The grammatical gender of the noun does not affect the possessive pronoun, if the noun is plural. In this case, you just use “mine / dine / sine / våre” across all three grammatical genders.
| Singular | English | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|
Katten min |
My cat |
Kattene mine |
My cats |
Boka di |
Your book |
Bøkene dine |
Your books |
Hunden sin |
His / Her / Their (own) dog |
Hundene sine |
His / Her / Their (own) dogs |
Huset vårt |
Our house |
Husene våre |
Our houses |
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Resources:
Exercise: Write 5 sentences containing plurals.