Questions & Answers about Vi trenger en notatbok til skolen.
What does trenger mean and what form is it in?
trenger is the present‐tense form of the verb trenge, meaning to need. In Norwegian Bokmål you form the present by adding –r to the infinitive, so trenge → trenger.
Why is trenger used here instead of behøver, which also means “to need”?
While both verbs can translate as “need,” trenger is more common and conversational. Behøver is somewhat more formal and often used with an infinitive (e.g. behøver å gjøre noe), whereas trenger can directly take an object (trenger en notatbok).
Why is the indefinite article en used before notatbok, and what gender is this noun?
In Bokmål Norwegian there are two noun genders: common and neuter. Notatbok (‘notebook’) is a common‐gender noun, so it takes the common‐gender indefinite article en (not the neuter et).
Why is notatbok written as one word, not two separate words?