Jeg ser en stor gate.

I see a big street.

Breakdown of Jeg ser en stor gate.

• jeg: I
• en: a
• stor: big
• se: to see
• gate: the street

Questions & Answers about Jeg ser en stor gate.

Why is the indefinite article en used in en stor gate instead of et?

In Norwegian, nouns have genders. The noun gate (meaning street) is of the common gender, so it takes the indefinite article en. If the noun were neuter, like hus (house), you would use et instead. This distinction is important when choosing the correct article.

What is the sentence structure of Jeg ser en stor gate compared to English?

The sentence follows a typical Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order. Jeg (I) is the subject, ser (see) is the verb in the present tense, and en stor gate (a big street) is the object. This similarity to English makes it easier for English speakers to understand the basic word order.

How does the adjective stor agree with the noun gate, and why doesn’t it have an ending?

In Norwegian, adjectives come before the noun and must agree with the gender, number, and definiteness of that noun. Since gate is a common gender singular noun in an indefinite context, the adjective remains in its base form—stor. If the noun were neuter in the indefinite form (for example, hus), the adjective would typically take an ending, becoming stort. In definite or plural forms, adjectives usually receive an ending like -e (as in den store gaten or store gater).

What does the verb ser indicate in terms of tense and conjugation in Norwegian?

Ser is the present tense form of the verb å se (to see). In Norwegian, verbs in the present tense are generally not conjugated according to the subject. This means that regardless of who is performing the action, the form of the verb remains the same, which simplifies verb conjugation compared to English.

How does adjective inflection in Norwegian differ from adjective usage in English?

Unlike English, where adjectives do not change form based on the noun, Norwegian adjectives must agree with the noun in gender, number, and definiteness. For example, in en stor gate, the adjective remains as stor because gate is a common gender singular noun in an indefinite form. However, with a neuter noun like hus (house), the adjective would change to stort in the indefinite form (et stort hus), and in definite or plural constructions, adjectives typically add an -e (such as den store gaten or store gater).