Language/Norwegian-bokmal/Grammar/Adjectives

Norwegian Bokmål Grammar - Adjectives

Hi Norwegian Bokmål learners! 😊

In this lesson, we will discuss adjectives. Adjectives in Norwegian Bokmål describe or modify a noun. They are placed either before or after the noun depending on their type. Adjectives must agree with their noun in gender, number, and definiteness.

Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Norwegian Bokmål Grammar Lesson: Common Prepositions, Norwegian Bokmål Grammar Questions and Negation Question Words, Comparatives and Superlatives & Adjective Agreement.

Types of Adjectives

There are two types of adjectives in Norwegian Bokmål: attributive and predicative adjectives.

Attributive Adjectives

Attributive adjectives are the most common type in Norwegian Bokmål. They are placed before the noun and must agree with the noun in number, gender, and definiteness. In the table below, we will see some examples of attributive adjectives in Norwegian Bokmål.

Norwegian Bokmål	Pronunciation	English
en stor bil	ɛn stuːr biːl	a big car
ei grønn plante	æi ɡrønː plantə	a green plant (indefinite)
den gamle mannen	dɛn ɡamːlɛ manːən	the old man (definite)
et lite barn	ɛt liːtə barn	a small child

Predicative Adjectives

Predicative adjectives are used to describe the subject of a sentence using a linking verb such as "er" (is) or "blir" (becomes). They are placed after the noun and do not have to agree in definiteness with the noun. In the table below, we will see some examples of predicative adjectives in Norwegian Bokmål.

Norwegian Bokmål	Pronunciation	English
bilen er stor	biːlən ær stuːr	the car is big
planten blir grønn	plantən blir ɡrønː	the plant becomes green
mannen er gammel	manːən ær ɡamːl	the man is old
barnet blir lite	barnət blir liːtə	the child becomes small

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Comparable adjectives are used to compare two nouns, while superlative adjectives are used to compare one noun with all others in a group. In Norwegian Bokmål, the comparative form is usually formed by adding -ere to the positive form of the adjective, and the superlative form is formed by adding -est to the positive form of the adjective. In the table below, we will see some examples of comparative and superlative adjectives in Norwegian Bokmål.

Norwegian Bokmål	Pronunciation	English
en høy mann	ɛn høy manː	a tall man
en høyere mann	ɛn høyərə manː	a taller man
den høyeste mannen	dɛn høyɛstə manːən	the tallest man

Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives are used to indicate which noun is being referred to. In Norwegian Bokmål, they are placed before the noun and agree with it in both number and gender. There are two types of demonstrative adjectives in Norwegian Bokmål: "denne" and "den". "Denne" is used for close proximity or time, while "den" is used for further proximity or time. In the table below, we will see some examples of demonstrative adjectives in Norwegian Bokmål.

Norwegian Bokmål	Pronunciation	English
denne boken	dɛnːə bukən	this book
dette huset	dɛtːə hʉːsɛt	this house
den boken	dɛnː bukən	that book
det huset	dɛt hʉːsɛt	that house

Dialogue

Here is a dialogue to help you understand how adjectives are used in Norwegian Bokmål:

• Person 1: Se på den røde rosen. (Look at the red rose.)
• Person 2: Ja, den er veldig vakker. (Yes, it is very beautiful.)
• Person 1: Den blå himmelen er så fin. (The blue sky is so beautiful.)
• Person 2: Ja, den er virkelig fantastisk. (Yes, it is truly fantastic.)

Conclusion

Now that you have learned about adjectives in Norwegian Bokmål, you can practice by describing objects around you or by reading books in Norwegian Bokmål. To further improve your Norwegian Bokmål grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions! Remember, practice makes perfect!

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➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Upon wrapping up this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Basic Sentence Structure, Give your Opinion, Personal pronouns & Past tense verbs.

Other Lessons

• Pronouns
• Conditional Mood
• Future Tense
• Give your Opinion
• Plurals
• Questions
• Nouns
• How to Use Have
• Negation