Jeg har fem bøker.

I have five books.

Breakdown of Jeg har fem bøker.

• jeg: I
• ha: to have
• boken: the book
• fem: five

Questions & Answers about Jeg har fem bøker.

Why is there no article before fem bøker?

In Norwegian, when you use a numeral as a determiner (like fem), it directly precedes an indefinite plural noun. You never combine a number with an indefinite article. It’s exactly parallel to English “five books” (not “a five books”).

How do you form the plural of bok?

bok is an irregular noun. To form the plural you:

• Change the vowel o → ø
• Add the ending -er
  So bok → bøker.

Most common-gender nouns follow this pattern (e.g. bil → biler, hatt → hatter is regular with no vowel change).

What is har, and how is it used?

har is the present-tense form of the verb å ha (to have). You use it to express possession (like English “have”) and also as an auxiliary verb when forming the perfect tense (e.g. Jeg har skrevet = “I have written”).

Why does the verb har appear in second position in the sentence?

Norwegian follows the “V2” rule in main clauses: the finite (conjugated) verb must come second, regardless of what the first element is. Here the first element is the subject jeg, so you get Subject – Verb – Object order:
1) Jeg
2) har
3) fem bøker

How do you pronounce fem and bøker?

• fem: [feːm] – long “e” like in English “say” (but held longer), ending with an [m].
• bøker: [ˈbøːkər] – ø as in French peur or German schön, long vowel [øː], then -er pronounced [ər].

Can I say Jeg eier fem bøker instead of Jeg har fem bøker?

Yes, eier (“own”) is grammatically correct, but it sounds more formal or written. For everyday possession you almost always use ha/har.

How would I say “I have one book”? Is it Jeg har en bok?

You write Jeg har én bok. Note the accent on én to distinguish the numeric one from the indefinite article en. Without the accent, en could be read as “a/an.”

How do I make this sentence negative: “I don’t have five books”?

Place ikke after the verb:
• Jeg har ikke fem bøker.

If you want to say “I only have four books” (implying fewer than five), you could say:
• Jeg har bare fire bøker.

How do I add an adjective, for example “I have five red books”?

Adjectives in indefinite plural take -e, and they go between the number and the noun:
• Jeg har fem røde bøker.
Here rød (red) becomes røde to agree with the plural.