A1/A2
grammatikk
Nouns and Grammatical Gender
Learn about grammatical gender in Norwegian: masculine, feminine and neuter — and how to use en, ei and et.
In Norwegian all nouns have a grammatical gender. There are three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter.
The three genders
| Gender | Indefinite article | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine (m) | en | en mann — a man, en bil — a car |
| Feminine (f) | ei | ei jente — a girl, ei bok — a book |
| Neuter (n) | et | et hus — a house, et barn — a child |
Definite form
In Norwegian the article is added to the end of the noun in the definite form:
| Indefinite | Definite | Example |
|---|---|---|
| en mann | mannen | Mannen er snill. — The man is kind. |
| ei jente | jenta | Jenta leser en bok. — The girl is reading a book. |
| et hus | huset | Huset er stort. — The house is big. |
| en bil | bilen | Bilen er rød. — The car is red. |
| et barn | barnet | Barnet sover. — The child is sleeping. |
Tip for beginners
Many Norwegians use en for both masculine and feminine in spoken language. So if you are unsure, use en — it is almost always acceptable!