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Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Temperaturen er minus fem. - The temperature is minus five.

Hardcore Norwegian
/Applying for a resident parking permit
/Temperaturen er minus fem.

Temperaturen er minus fem.

Word

Temperaturen er minus fem.

Meaning

The temperature is minus five.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Norwegian

Lesson

Applying for a resident parking permit

Breakdown of Temperaturen er minus fem.

the temperature

minus; below zero

Questions & Answers about Temperaturen er minus fem.

Why is it temperaturen and not just temperatur?

Temperaturen is the definite form of temperatur, so it means the temperature.

In Norwegian, nouns often add an ending instead of using a separate word like the:

en temperatur = a temperature
temperaturen = the temperature

So Temperaturen er minus fem is literally The temperature is minus five.

What does the ending -en mean here?

The ending -en marks a masculine definite noun in Bokmål.

For this word:

en temperatur = a temperature
temperaturen = the temperature

This is very common in Norwegian. Instead of putting a separate word before the noun, Norwegian often attaches the definite article to the end of the noun.

Why is the verb er used?

Er means is and is the present tense of å være = to be.

So:

temperaturen = the temperature
er = is
minus fem = minus five

This is a simple subject + verb + complement sentence.

Is minus fem the normal way to talk about temperatures below zero?

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Yes. Minus fem is a completely normal way to say minus five when talking about temperature.

You can use minus directly before the number:

minus én
minus to
minus fem
minus ti

In everyday speech about weather, this is very common.

Why doesn’t the sentence include grader?

Because it is often understood from the context.

If you are talking about temperature, Norwegians often leave out grader = degrees:

Temperaturen er minus fem
Det er minus fem

Both can be understood as minus five degrees.

If you want to be more explicit, you can say:

Temperaturen er minus fem grader
Det er minus fem grader

All of these are natural.

Would Det er minus fem be more common than Temperaturen er minus fem?

Often, yes.

Det er minus fem is a very common everyday way to talk about the weather. It works like English It’s minus five.

Temperaturen er minus fem is also correct, but it can sound a little more specific or slightly more formal, since it explicitly mentions the temperature.

So:

Det er minus fem = very common in conversation
Temperaturen er minus fem = also correct, a bit more explicit

Can I say minus fem grader instead?

Yes. That is also very natural.

Common versions include:

Det er minus fem
Det er minus fem grader
Temperaturen er minus fem
Temperaturen er minus fem grader

The version with grader is just more explicit.

How do I pronounce temperaturen?

A simple learner-friendly approximation is:

tem-pe-ra-TU-ren

A few helpful points:

The r is Norwegian, so it may sound different from an English r
The ending -en is not pronounced like English en in pen, but more lightly
The stress is usually around tu in temperaturen

You do not need perfect pronunciation right away; being clear and steady is more important.

Is this sentence Bokmål or Nynorsk?

This sentence is Bokmål.

In Nynorsk, you would normally say:

Temperaturen er minus fem

In this particular sentence, the form is actually the same, so it works in both. But in general, the two written standards can differ in spelling and grammar.

Is fem ever changed because of grammar here?

No. Fem stays the same.

Numbers in Norwegian do not change form here, so:

minus fem
fem grader
temperaturen er fem

The word fem does not get special endings in this kind of sentence.

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