Vi sparer energi.

we

Breakdown of Vi sparer energi.

• spare: to save
• energien: the energy

Questions & Answers about Vi sparer energi.

What does each word in Vi sparer energi mean?

• Vi = we
• sparer = save / are saving
• energi = energy

So the sentence literally matches English quite closely: We save energy.

Why is it sparer and not spare?

Because sparer is the present tense form of the verb å spare (to save).

In Norwegian, many verbs in the present tense add -r:

• å spare = to save
• sparer = save / am saving / is saving / are saving

So:

• Jeg sparer = I save / I am saving
• Vi sparer = we save / we are saving

Why is there no word for are in the sentence?

Norwegian usually does not need a separate verb like am / is / are when using a simple present verb.

English:

• We save energy
• We are saving energy

Norwegian often uses the same form:

• Vi sparer energi

So sparer can cover both save and are saving, depending on context.

Why doesn’t energi have en or et in front of it?