adjektivA1
Adjektivets former
[Forms of Adjectives]In Norwegian, the adjective agrees in form with the noun or pronoun it describes. Most adjectives have three forms: masculine/feminine, neuter, and plural. Adjectives also decline in indefinite and definite forms.
1. Indefinite Form before a Noun
The adjective takes these forms when placed before an indefinite noun:
Masculine (en)
en rask hund(a fast dog)
Feminine (ei)
ei rask jente(a fast girl)
Neuter (et)
et raskt tog(a fast train)
Plural (flere)
raske biler(fast cars)
Masculine (en)
en fin genser(a nice sweater)
Feminine (ei)
ei fin jakke(a nice jacket)
Neuter (et)
et fint hus(a nice house)
Plural (flere)
fine kaker(nice cakes)
Masculine (en)
en varm kopp(a warm cup)
Feminine (ei)
ei varm lue(a warm hat)
Neuter (et)
et varmt rom(a warm room)
Plural (flere)
varme dager(warm days)
| Masculine (en) | Feminine (ei) | Neuter (et) | Plural (flere) |
|---|---|---|---|
en rask hunda fast dog | ei rask jentea fast girl | et raskt toga fast train | raske bilerfast cars |
en fin gensera nice sweater | ei fin jakkea nice jacket | et fint husa nice house | fine kakernice cakes |
en varm koppa warm cup | ei varm luea warm hat | et varmt roma warm room | varme dagerwarm days |
2. Adjective after the Noun (with være / bli)
Sometimes the adjective comes after the noun, especially with verbs 'å være' (to be) or 'å bli' (to become). The noun can be definite or indefinite, but the adjective takes indefinite agreement forms:
Masculine
En katt er rask.(A cat is fast.)
Feminine
Ei jente er snill.(A girl is kind.)
Neuter
Et tog er raskt.(A train is fast.)
Plural
To hester er sterke.(Two horses are strong.)
Masculine
Katten er rask.(The cat is fast.)
Feminine
Jenta er snill.(The girl is kind.)
Neuter
Toget er raskt.(The train is fast.)
Plural
Hestene er sterke.(The horses are strong.)
Masculine
Bilen blir ren.(The car becomes clean.)
Feminine
Jakka blir tørr.(The jacket gets dry.)
Neuter
Huset blir fint.(The house becomes nice.)
Plural
Dagene blir lyse.(The days become bright.)
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
En katt er rask.A cat is fast. | Ei jente er snill.A girl is kind. | Et tog er raskt.A train is fast. | To hester er sterke.Two horses are strong. |
Katten er rask.The cat is fast. | Jenta er snill.The girl is kind. | Toget er raskt.The train is fast. | Hestene er sterke.The horses are strong. |
Bilen blir ren.The car becomes clean. | Jakka blir tørr.The jacket gets dry. | Huset blir fint.The house becomes nice. | Dagene blir lyse.The days become bright. |
Examples:
En hund er snill. / Hunden er snill.A dog is kind. / The dog is kind.
Et hus er stort. / Huset er stort.A house is big. / The house is big.
Mange kaker er søte. / Kakene er søte.Many cakes are sweet. / The cakes are sweet.
Teen blir kald hvis du venter.The tea gets cold if you wait.
Special Rule: Neuter Adjectives for Taste, Food, and General Opinion (Sjokolade er godt)
When describing taste, food/drink, or expressing a general opinion with 'å være' or 'å bli', we often use the neuter adjective form (-t), even if the noun is masculine or feminine. This is because an action is implied: '[Eating] chocolate is delicious':
Specific item (standard agreement)
Sjokoladen er god.(The chocolate is good.)
General taste / opinion (neuter)
Sjokolade er godt.(Chocolate is good (tasty).)
Implied action
Å spise sjokolade er godt.(Eating chocolate is good.)
Specific item (standard agreement)
Fisken er fersk og god.(The fish is fresh and good.)
General taste / opinion (neuter)
Fisk er sunt.(Fish is healthy.)
Implied action
Å spise fisk er sunt.(Eating fish is healthy.)
Specific item (standard agreement)
Kaka er søt.(The cake is sweet.)
General taste / opinion (neuter)
Kake er usunt.(Cake is unhealthy.)
Implied action
Å spise kake er usunt.(Eating cake is unhealthy.)
Specific item (standard agreement)
Jusen er kald.(The juice is cold.)
General taste / opinion (neuter)
Jus er godt og sunt.(Juice is tasty and healthy.)
Implied action
Å drikke jus er sunt.(Drinking juice is healthy.)
Specific item (standard agreement)
Frukten er moden.(The fruit is ripe.)
General taste / opinion (neuter)
Frukt er dyrt.(Fruit is expensive.)
Implied action
Å kjøpe frukt er dyrt.(Buying fruit is expensive.)
| Specific item (standard agreement) | General taste / opinion (neuter) | Implied action |
|---|---|---|
Sjokoladen er god.The chocolate is good. | Sjokolade er godt.Chocolate is good (tasty). | Å spise sjokolade er godt.Eating chocolate is good. |
Fisken er fersk og god.The fish is fresh and good. | Fisk er sunt.Fish is healthy. | Å spise fisk er sunt.Eating fish is healthy. |
Kaka er søt.The cake is sweet. | Kake er usunt.Cake is unhealthy. | Å spise kake er usunt.Eating cake is unhealthy. |
Jusen er kald.The juice is cold. | Jus er godt og sunt.Juice is tasty and healthy. | Å drikke jus er sunt.Drinking juice is healthy. |
Frukten er moden.The fruit is ripe. | Frukt er dyrt.Fruit is expensive. | Å kjøpe frukt er dyrt.Buying fruit is expensive. |
Jeg pleier å spise kake til frokost. Kake er kanskje litt usunt, men siden kake er så godt, er det alltid førstevalget mitt.I usually eat cake for breakfast. Cake is maybe a bit unhealthy, but since cake is so delicious, it's always my first choice.
Når det gjelder drikke, velger jeg å drikke eplejus. Jus er både godt og sunt.When it comes to drinks, I choose to drink apple juice. Juice is both delicious and healthy.
Jeg skulle spist mer vitaminer, men frukt blir så smakløst om vinteren.I should have eaten more vitamins, but fruit becomes so tasteless in winter.
Rule of thumb: If referring to a specific food item in front of you, use standard gender agreement ('Denne sjokoladen er god'). If speaking of the food in general or taste experience, always use the neuter ('Sjokolade er godt')!
3. Special Patterns in Indefinite Form
Certain adjective categories follow regular generalized phonological rules:
Adjectives ending in –el, –er, and –en contract in plural (drop -e-):
en gammel mann → gamle mennan old man → old men
ei vakker jente → vakre jentera beautiful girl → beautiful girls
ei åpen dør → åpne døreran open door → open doors
en sikker vei → sikre veiera safe road → safe roads
Short adjectives ending in a vowel take –tt in neuter:
et nytt husa new house
et blått skapa blue cupboard
et grått skjerfa grey scarf
et hvitt borda white table
Adjectives ending in –ig do NOT take –t in neuter:
et hyggelig roma pleasant room
et viktig brevan important letter
et billig brøda cheap bread
et vanskelig orda difficult word
Adjectives ending in consonant + t do not take an extra –t in neuter:
et svart borda black table
et grønt eplea green apple
et kort svara short answer
Adjectives ending in –e remain identical in all forms:
en moderne bil – et moderne hus – moderne bilera modern car – a modern house – modern cars
en stille kveld – et stille rom – stille kveldera quiet evening – a quiet room – quiet evenings
Nationalities on –sk and long adjectives on –sk do not take –t in neuter:
et norsk flagga Norwegian flag
et ukrainsk brøda Ukrainian bread
et engelsk ordan English word
et praktisk verktøya practical tool
4. Irregular Adjectives (bra, glad, liten)
These adjectives are irregular and have unique forms that must be memorized:
Word
bra
Masculine (en)
en bra film(a good movie)
Feminine (ei)
ei bra bok(a good book)
Neuter (et)
et bra forslag(a good idea)
Plural (flere)
bra filmer(good movies)
Word
glad
Masculine (en)
en glad gutt(a happy boy)
Feminine (ei)
ei glad jente(a happy girl)
Neuter (et)
et glad barn(a happy child)
Plural (flere)
glade barn(happy children)
Word
liten
Masculine (en)
en liten hund(a small dog)
Feminine (ei)
ei lita jente(a small girl)
Neuter (et)
et lite hus(a small house)
Plural (flere)
små hunder(small dogs)
| Word | Masculine (en) | Feminine (ei) | Neuter (et) | Plural (flere) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
bra | en bra filma good movie | ei bra boka good book | et bra forslaga good idea | bra filmergood movies |
glad | en glad gutta happy boy | ei glad jentea happy girl | et glad barna happy child | glade barnhappy children |
liten | en liten hunda small dog | ei lita jentea small girl | et lite husa small house | små hundersmall dogs |
Note: 'liten' becomes 'lita' in feminine singular (ei lita jente), 'lite' in neuter singular (et lite hus), and 'små' in plural (små hytter). See the full guide in Irregular Adjectives.
5. Definite Form
The adjective requires a definite article (den/det/de) when placed before a definite noun. The gender and number determine the article, and the adjective always takes the -e plural form:
Gender / Number
Maskulin(Masculine)
Definite construction
den fine bilen (den + adjektiv(-e) + -en)(the nice car)
Gender / Number
Feminin(Feminine)
Definite construction
den fine jakka (den + adjektiv(-e) + -a)(the nice jacket)
Gender / Number
Nøytrum(Neuter)
Definite construction
det fine huset (det + adjektiv(-e) + -et)(the nice house)
Gender / Number
Plural(Plural)
Definite construction
de fine bilene (de + adjektiv(-e) + -ene)(the nice cars)
| Gender / Number | Definite construction |
|---|---|
MaskulinMasculine | den fine bilen (den + adjektiv(-e) + -en)the nice car |
FemininFeminine | den fine jakka (den + adjektiv(-e) + -a)the nice jacket |
NøytrumNeuter | det fine huset (det + adjektiv(-e) + -et)the nice house |
Plural | de fine bilene (de + adjektiv(-e) + -ene)the nice cars |
The adjective 'liten' in definite form becomes: den lille gutten – den lille jenta – det lille huset – de små kakene.
6. Adjective with Possessive Pronoun
A possessive pronoun can stand before or after the noun, which affects the grammatical structure of the adjective:
1. When the possessive pronoun follows the noun (standard spoken style):
The noun is in definite form, so the adjective must be in definite form with an article:
Jeg vasker den nye bilen min.I wash my new car.
De maler det gamle huset sitt.They are painting their old house.
Nora har på seg den varme jakka si.Nora is wearing her warm jacket.
2. When the pronoun precedes the noun (more formal):
The adjective is placed between the pronoun and noun in -e form, but WITHOUT an article:
Jeg liker min nye bil.I like my new car (formal).
De flytter inn i sitt nye hus.They move into their new house.
Vår nye lærer heter Sondre.Our new teacher is named Sondre.