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Questions & Answers about Jeg har en eske.
What does Jeg har en eske mean in English?
It translates directly as I have a box. In this sentence, Jeg means I, har is the verb have, and en eske represents the noun phrase a box.
What is the role of the word har in this sentence?
Har is the present tense form of the Norwegian verb å ha, which means to have. It functions as the main verb that links the subject Jeg with the object en eske.
Why is the indefinite article en used with eske?
In Norwegian, common gender nouns take the indefinite article en. Since eske is a common gender noun, en is used to mean a box, much like how a functions in English.
How does the word order in Jeg har en eske compare to English?
The word order is very similar; it follows the Subject-Verb-Object pattern. Jeg (subject) comes first, har (verb) follows, and en eske (object) comes after—just as in the English sentence I have a box.
How would you change the sentence if you wanted to say the box instead of a box?
In Norwegian, definite nouns typically add a suffix to the noun rather than using a preceding article. For eske, the definite form is esken. So, to say the box, you would say Jeg har esken.
Are there other forms of the indefinite article in Norwegian, and why wouldn’t they work with eske?
Yes, Norwegian uses en, ei, and ett as indefinite articles. En is used with common gender nouns, ei is traditionally for feminine nouns (although many now use en), and ett is for neuter nouns. Since eske is a common gender noun, en is the appropriate and grammatically correct choice; using ei or ett would be incorrect here.