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Jeg ser en liten katt.

Jeg ser en liten katt.
I see a small cat.
FromLesson 2inHardcore Norwegian
…

Breakdown of Jeg ser en liten katt.

jeg
I
en
a
se
to see
liten
small
katten
the cat
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Questions & Answers about Jeg ser en liten katt.

What does Jeg ser en liten katt literally translate to in English?
  • Jeg means I.
  • ser means see (present tense of the verb å se).
  • en is the indefinite article (like “a” in English) for masculine or feminine nouns.
  • liten means “little” or “small” (used before a masculine/feminine noun in the singular).
  • katt means “cat.”

So the whole sentence means I see a little cat.

Why do we use en instead of et here?

Norwegian has three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter.

  • en is used with masculine or feminine nouns.
  • et is used with neuter nouns.
    Since katt is usually treated as a masculine (or sometimes feminine) noun, it takes en.
What is the difference between liten, lite, and lita?

All are forms of the adjective for “small,” but they agree with the gender and number of the noun:

  • liten is used with masculine or feminine singular nouns (e.g., en liten katt, ei lita jente).
  • lite is used with neuter singular nouns (e.g., et lite hus).
  • lita is specifically a feminine form used with some feminine singular nouns (often dialect or more traditional usage: ei lita jente).
Why is the word order Jeg ser en liten katt and not something like “Jeg en liten katt ser”?

Norwegian typically follows a “Subject–Verb–Object” order in main clauses, and also follows the V2 rule (the verb should come in the second position).

  • Jeg (subject)
  • ser (verb)
  • en liten katt (object)

Switching the order would sound unnatural and incorrect in standard Norwegian.