Familien sørger.

Familien means the family.

In Norwegian, familie is the basic noun form, and -n / -en is added to make it definite:

• en familie = a family
• familien = the family

So the sentence is specifically talking about the family, not just a family.

Sørger is the present tense of the verb å sørge.

So:

• å sørge = to grieve / to mourn
• sørger = grieves / is grieving / mourns

In a simple sentence like Familien sørger, Norwegian often uses the present tense where English might say either grieves or is grieving.

Because sørger already works as the full verb.

In English, you often need is + -ing to express an ongoing action, as in is grieving. In Norwegian, the simple present tense often covers that idea by itself:

• Familien sørger = The family grieves / The family is grieving

So there is no need to add a separate word meaning is here.

Not always. Å sørge can have more than one meaning depending on context.

Common meanings include:

• to grieve / mourn
• to make sure
• to provide for in expressions like sørge for

But in Familien sørger, the natural meaning is clearly The family is grieving / mourning.

In Norwegian, familien is grammatically singular, so the verb is singular too.

• Familien sørger. = The family grieves.

Even though a family consists of several people, the noun itself is one unit grammatically. This is very normal in Norwegian.

If you wanted to focus on the individual members, you would use a plural noun instead, such as:

• Familiemedlemmene sørger. = The family members are grieving.

A rough English-friendly guide is:

• Familien ≈ fah-MEE-lee-en
• sørger ≈ SUR-ger, but with the vowel in sø- made with rounded lips

A few notes:

• The r in Norwegian is usually clearly pronounced.
• The vowel ø does not exist in standard English. To get closer, try saying an eh/uh-type vowel while rounding your lips.
• The final -er in sørger is usually not stressed.

You probably could be understood, but it is not the most natural choice in everyday Norwegian.

The normal, idiomatic sentence is:

• Familien sørger.

Using er sørgende sounds more formal, literary, or less natural in ordinary speech. For a learner, Familien sørger is the best version to use.

You switch the word order:

• Familien sørger. = The family is grieving.
• Sørger familien? = Is the family grieving?

This is a very common Norwegian pattern: the verb comes before the subject in yes/no questions.

This sentence is correct in Bokmål, and it also works in Nynorsk in this exact form.

So Familien sørger is a sentence learners can safely recognize across both written standards.

Yes. Å sørge usually suggests grief, often connected with loss, death, or deep sadness.

So Familien sørger is stronger and more specific than just saying:

• Familien er trist. = The family is sad.

Sørger implies a deeper kind of sorrow, often mourning.