Katten jakter på musen.

The cat hunts for the mouse.

Breakdown of Katten jakter på musen.

• på: for
• katten: the cat
• musen: the mouse
• jakte: to hunt

Questions & Answers about Katten jakter på musen.

Why does katt become katten?

Because -en is the usual definite singular ending for many common-gender nouns in Bokmål.

• katt = cat
• katten = the cat

So instead of adding a separate word like English the, Norwegian often adds the definiteness to the end of the noun.

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Why does mus become musen?

For the same reason: musen is the definite singular form, meaning the mouse.

• mus = mouse
• musen = the mouse

In Bokmål, mus can also sometimes be treated as feminine, in which case you may see musa. But musen is completely normal and standard.

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Why isn’t there a separate word for the?

Because Norwegian usually puts the onto the noun as an ending.

Compare:

• en katt = a cat

• katten = the cat

• en mus = a mouse
• musen = the mouse

This is one of the biggest differences from English noun structure.

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What form of the verb is jakter?