Cathrine Rysst and Daren Sylvester Norwegian Grammar Dictionary
Contents Understanding the format of this book 6 Key to Phonemic Script (Pronunciation) 7 Dictionary 9 Appendix 1 Prepositions of Time 203 Appendix 2 Pronouns 205 Appendix 3 Passive Voice 207 Appendix 4 Modal Verbs 209 Appendix 5 s-verbs 212 Appendix 6 Some Useful Abbreviations 213 Appendix 7 Ordinals 216 Appendix 8 Verb Conjugations 218
b begge / adf?/ Ï pron. both (of them) Used to mean both when talking about two different things. Antonyms: ingen Grammar Rule Example of Grammar Rule 1. begge + (noun) begge kjønn De har ansatte av begge kjønn. They have employees of both sexes. 2. begge + (noun) begge gangene Faren betalte begge gangene. The father paid both times. 3. begge + deler begge deler Kaffe og kake? Ja, takk, begge deler. Coffee and cake? Yes, please. Both. 4. begge + to begge to Jeg kjenner begge to. Mannen og konen. I know them both. The husband and the wife. Notes 1. begge can be used together with a plural noun, and in both the indefinite and definite forms (see Examples 1 and 2). 2. begge deler is generally used for two objects in the indefinite form (see Example 3). 3. begge to is used for two somewhat related objects in the definite form, or for people/ proper names (see Example 4). Å lande på begge bena To land on two feet Å spise med begge hendene To eat with both hands (be very hungry) Å være i begges interesse To be in the interest of both parties 24
! Be Careful! Do not confuse with både-og (see own entry). This also means both, but is always used with the word og (and). Både and og always appear together and require at least two objects mentioned: Jeg betalte både husleien og telefonregningen. I paid both the rent and the phone bill. Jeg betalte begge (to). I paid both. både is never a sufficient answer alone (without the word og), whereas begge (to/deler) can stand alone: Snakker du tysk eller fransk? Begge deler. Do you speak German or French? Both. If there are more than two objects, begge cannot be used. begge to cannot be followed by a noun: Incorrect: Jeg har sett begge to programmene. Correct: Jeg har sett begge programmene. I have seen both programmes. b 25
etterpå / ds?qon9/ Ï adv. afterwards, later, then Synonyms: deretter Used to describe something that happened after something initial, or will happen after what now is going on. e Hva skal dere gjøre etterpå? What are you doing later? Examples 1. Du er snart ferdig med studiene. Hva skal du gjøre etterpå? You have almost finished your studies. What are you going to do afterwards? 2. Hva skjedde etterpå? What happened then? 3. Det må ordens nå, ikke etterpå. It has to be fixed now, not afterwards. 4. Kan det vente til etterpå? Can it wait until later? 5. Les boken, og etterpå vil du forstå alt. Read the book, and then you ll understand everything. Notes 1. etterpå can be used with past, present and future tenses. Å være etterpåklok To have hindsight! Be Careful! etterpå cannot be followed by an object: Incorrect: Vi ser på TV etterpå middag. Correct: Vi ser på TV etter middag. We watch TV after dinner. 57
gjelde /idk?/ v. (gjelder-gjaldt-gjeldt) Used to apply boundaries or limits to something, or to attach circumstances to something. g be valid, count, apply to, regard, concern Synonyms: dreie seg om De samme reglene gjelder for alle. The same rules apply to everyone. Examples 1. I den situasjonen gjaldt det å holde hodet kaldt. In (regards to) that situation it was all about staying calm. 2. Førerkortet ditt gjelder ikke lenger. Your driving licence is no longer valid. 3. Det samme gjelder for deg, unge dame! The same goes for you, young lady! 4. Kollektivfeltet gjelder for buss og taxi. The bus lane is for buses and taxis exclusively. Notes 1. Often seen are the forms å være gyldig and å gjøre seg gjeldende. These are adjectives and participles sometimes more often used than the verb itself: Førerkortet ditt er ikke gyldig lenger. Your driving licence is no longer valid (see how this differs from Example 2 above). Jensen gjorde seg gjeldende som megler under konflikten. Mr. Jensen stood out (was regarded) as a good mediator during the conflict. 2. For a formal conversation, especially phone conversation, it is most common to use gjelder idiomatically when addressing the matter: Goddag, mitt navn er Eva Hansen. Det gjelder min siste strømregning. Hello, my name is Eva Hansen. I m calling about (in regards to) my last electricity bill. Det er nå det gjelder! Now is the time! Det gjelder liv eller død! It s a matter of life and death! Til gjengjeld In compensation/in return Hva gjelder det denne gangen? How can I help you this time? 72
igjen /h9!idm/ adv. again, remaining, left Synonyms: til overs, å være lukket, tilbake Meaning again, but also used for remaining, as in left over. Can also be used for the English noun change, as in money received back after paying for something. i Henrik betalte ett hundre kroner og fikk femti kroner igjen. Henrik paid one hundred kroner and received fifty kroner in change (back). Examples 1. Det er bare tre billetter igjen. There are only three tickets left. 2. Når kommer du igjen? When will you come again? 3. Han ser filmen igjen og igjen. He watches the movie over and over (again). 4. Er det langt igjen? Is it far to go (as in remaining time or distance)? 5. Når sees vi igjen? When will we meet again? Notes 1. å ta igjen to catch up: Jeg har mye å ta igjen. I have much to catch up with. 2. å gi igjen to give change: Kan du gi igjen på fem hundre kroner? Can you give change for five hundred kroner? 3. å lukke igjen to shut or close: Lars lukket igjen vinduet. Lars shut the window. 4. å kjenne igjen to recognise: Jeg kjente deg nesten ikke igjen. I hardly recognised you. 5. å bli igjen to stay behind: Vi gikk fra festen, mens Grete ble igjen. We left the party, while Grete stayed behind. Ikke nå igjen! Not again! Om igjen Once more, once again Kom igjen! Come on! 90
ingen / hm?m/ Ï pron. (intet, ingen) nobody, no, no one, none, anybody, not any Denotes an absolute zero of objects, tangible or intangible. An indefinite pronoun which is conjugated according to the noun it modifies. Synonyms: ikke noe, ikke noen i Antonyms: noen, alle Jeg kjenner ingen her. I don t know anybody here. Examples 1. Jeg har ingen erfaring med dette. I have no experience with this. 2. Hvorfor har ingen fortalt meg om dette? Why has no one told me about this? 3. Hvor mange biler er det i parkeringshuset? Det er ingen. How many cars are in the parking garage? There are none. Notes 1. When ingen is used about people in singular or plural, the pronoun itself can be left out and becomes implicit (see ). 2. The neuter form of this word is intet, which often remains unknown to students. It may sound a bit formal and is often replaced by ikke noe or ingenting. As the subject of a clause these are interchangeable. Be aware that there is no such form as inget. intet is furthermore often followed by an adjective, making a noun construction: Intet vesentlig nothing of importance 92
Gender Grammar Rule Example of Grammar Rule masc. ingen + (noun) ingen jobb Hun har ingen jobb for tiden. She has no job for the time being. fem. ingen + (noun) ingen avis Det er ingen avis i Norge jeg liker. There s no newspaper in Norway that I like. neut. intet + (noun) intet problem Det er intet problem*. That s not a problem. pl. ingen + (noun) ingen planer Vi har ingen planer for helgen. We have no plans for the weekend. i * Especially in the neuter form this pronoun is commonly replaced by ikke noe ( ikke noen can be used for masculine, feminine and plural forms). Ingen vet hva fremtiden bringer. No one knows what the future holds. Ingen ringere enn No one but / the one and only Jeg har ingen anelse I have no idea Det er ingen sak/kunst å It doesn t take an expert to På ingen måte! Not at all!! Be Careful! If the phrase has a negative, one must use ikke noe(n) : Incorrect: Jeg har sett ingen / Jeg har ikke sett ingen. Correct: Jeg har ikke sett noen. I haven t seen anybody. Also, ingen cannot stand alone after a preposition. 93
liten / kh9s?m/ Ï adj. (mindre, minst) Used to describe the size or extent of something. (lita, lite, lille, små) little, small Antonyms: stor l Indefinite Form Gender Grammar Rule Example of Grammar Rule masc. en liten + (noun) en liten stol Det står en liten stol i hjørnet. There is a small chair in the corner. fem. ei lita + (noun) ei lita seng Hun sover i ei lita seng. She sleeps in a small bed. neut. et lite + (noun) et lite skap Vi har et lite skap på badet. We have a little cabinet in the bathroom. pl. små + (noun) små puter Sofaen har små puter. The sofa has small cushions. Definite Form Gender Grammar Rule Example of Grammar Rule masc. den lille + (noun) den lille stolen Den lille stolen er grønn. The little chair is green. fem. den lille + (noun) den lille senga Den lille senga er hvit. The little bed is white. neut. det lille + (noun) det lille skapet Det lille skapet er rødt. The little cabinet is red. pl. de små + (noun) de små putene De små putene er gule. The small cushions are yellow. 114
Notes 1. liten is an irregular adjective whose conjugation needs to be studied and memorised. 2. The forms mindre and minst are used for comparison: Hans land er lite, hennes land er mindre, og mitt land er minst/det minste. His country is small, her country is smaller, and my country is smallest/the smallest. 3. lite can be used as a noun-expression: Jeg husker lite av det som skjedde. I remember little of what happened. Bitte liten Tiny Lite grann A little bit Da jeg var liten As a child Å gjøre lite av seg To stay in the background Hun er lite pen She is not very beautiful Lille venn Dear/sweetheart For både store og små For adults as well as children Til langt ut i de små timer Until the break of day Det går smått Progress is slow l! Be Careful! Do not confuse with litt, which means a little, as in amount (see own entry). 115