Vi ringer assistenten.

We call the assistant.

Breakdown of Vi ringer assistenten.

• vi: we
• ringe: to call
• assistenten: the assistant

Questions & Answers about Vi ringer assistenten.

What does each word in Vi ringer assistenten mean?

• Vi = we
• ringer = call / are calling / ring
• assistenten = the assistant

So the whole sentence means We call the assistant or We are calling the assistant, depending on context.

Why is assistenten one word, and why doesn’t Norwegian use a separate word for the here?

In Norwegian, the definite article is often added to the end of the noun as a suffix.

• assistent = assistant
• assistenten = the assistant

So instead of saying a separate word like English the assistant, Norwegian usually attaches -en to the noun.

Why is it -en at the end of assistenten?

Because assistent is usually a common gender noun in Norwegian.

For common gender nouns, the definite singular ending is often -en:

• en assistent = an assistant
• assistenten = the assistant

If it were a neuter noun, you would usually see -et instead.