Hun lærer japansk.

She learns Japanese.

Breakdown of Hun lærer japansk.

• hun: she
• lære: to learn
• japansk: Japanese

Questions & Answers about Hun lærer japansk.

Why is lærer translated as learns / is learning here, when I’ve also seen lærer mean teacher?

Because lærer can be either:

• a verb: learns / is learning
• a noun: teacher

In Hun lærer japansk, it is a verb, because it comes after the subject hun and works as the action of the sentence.

So the structure is:

• Hun = she
• lærer = learns / is learning
• japansk = Japanese

If lærer were a noun, you would need a different sentence structure, for example:

• Hun er lærer = She is a teacher

So context and sentence structure tell you which meaning is intended.

Does Hun lærer japansk mean She learns Japanese or She is learning Japanese?

It can mean both.

In Norwegian, the present tense often covers both:

• She learns Japanese
• She is learning Japanese

So lærer is the present tense of å lære and can describe:

• a general fact or habit
• something happening now

Norwegian usually does not need a special progressive form like English is learning.

Why is there no word for the or a before japansk?