Jeg er en mann.

I

Breakdown of Jeg er en mann.

• være: to be
• en: a

Questions & Answers about Jeg er en mann.

Why does the sentence use en with mann?

In Norwegian, nouns can be masculine, feminine, or neuter. The word mann (meaning man) is masculine, so the indefinite article en is used. You’ll also see ei for feminine nouns and et for neuter nouns.

Do I always need an article before mann?

Yes, when using the indefinite form (like saying a man), you need en mann. However, if you’re talking about the man, you would say mannen. Norwegian works much like English here: you either have an indefinite article before a singular noun or a definite suffix added to it.

Why does Jeg start with a capital letter, while mann is lowercase?

Jeg is capitalized because it’s the first-person singular pronoun (I in English), and in Norwegian it’s always written capitalized at the start of a sentence. Mann is just a regular common noun, so it’s lowercase unless it begins a sentence or is part of a title.

Is there a shortcut to pronouncing Jeg?

In standard Norwegian, Jeg sounds like yay (with a short -ay). In some dialects, it might be more like ye or even je. Pronunciation can vary by region but sticking with the standard yay sound is a safe bet.

What’s the difference between mann and menn?

Mann is singular (one man) and menn is plural (multiple men). If you want to say I am men, which wouldn’t make sense in English, you would use menn—but typically, you’ll see it used in plural contexts like to menn (two men).