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A1📦Nouns & Articles
Definite & Indefinite Forms
Bestemt og ubestemt form
Norwegian attaches the definite article as a suffix to the noun instead of placing it before. 'En bil' (a car) becomes 'bilen' (the car). This suffix system is very different from English and most Indian languages.
Rule
Indefinite: en/ei/et + noun | Definite: noun + -en/-a/-et
Examples
en bok → boken
a book → the book
ei dør → døra
a door → the door
et barn → barnet
a child → the child
Common Mistake
✗
den bok
✓
boken
Indian learners tend to place 'den/det' before the noun like English 'the'. In Norwegian, the definite article is a suffix attached to the end of the noun.
English vs Norwegian
| English | Norsk |
|---|---|
| a book → the book | en bok → boken |
| a door → the door | ei dør → døra |
| a child → the child | et barn → barnet |
English
a book → the book
Norsk
en bok → boken
English
a door → the door
Norsk
ei dør → døra
English
a child → the child
Norsk
et barn → barnet