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Questions & Answers about Vi trenger penger.
What does Vi mean in this sentence?
Vi is the Norwegian equivalent of we. It is the subject pronoun used to indicate a first person plural subject, just like in English.
How is the verb trenger used, and does it change with different subjects?
Trenger means need in English. In Norwegian, verbs typically do not change form according to the subject. So whether the subject is jeg (I), du (you), or vi (we), the verb remains trenger in the present tense.
What does penger refer to, and why is it used without an article?
Penger translates to money. In Norwegian, penger is a plural noun that is used to refer to money in general. Like English, where we say "we need money" without an article, Norwegian omits the article here as it refers to money as an uncountable resource.
Is the word order in Vi trenger penger similar to English, and why?
Yes, the word order is similar to English. The sentence follows a Subject-Verb-Object structure (we = subject, need = verb, money = object), which makes it straightforward for English speakers learning Norwegian.
Why is money expressed with a plural noun (penger) even when talking about money in general?
In Norwegian, the concept of money is inherently treated as plural. This means there is no singular form used when referring to money in general. It’s simply a characteristic of the noun penger—learners should remember that, unlike English where money is uncountable, Norwegian always uses the plural form for money.