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Questions & Answers about Vi spiser lokal mat i dag.
Why is there no article before lokal mat?
In Norwegian, when talking about something in a general or mass‐noun sense (like “food”), you typically omit the indefinite article. Mat here is a mass noun meaning “food” in general, so Vi spiser lokal mat translates as “We eat/are eating local food” without needing en (“a”).
Why is the adjective lokal not lokalt before mat?
Adjectives in Norwegian agree with the noun’s gender and number. Mat is a common‐gender (en‐word) noun in the indefinite singular, so adjectives take no ending (strong declension). That’s why you say lokal mat. If it were a neuter noun (et‐word), you’d add -t (e.g. et stort hus).
Why is i dag written as two separate words, and not idag?
In Norwegian the adverb i dag (“today”) is always two words: the preposition i + the noun dag. Some other languages (like Swedish) write it idag, but Norwegian retains the space.
Why does Norwegian use the present simple spiser instead of a progressive form like “are eating”?
Norwegian doesn’t have a distinct progressive tense. The simple present covers both habitual actions (“we eat”) and ongoing ones (“we are eating”) depending on context. So Vi spiser can mean either “we eat” or “we are eating.”
What’s the word order in Vi spiser lokal mat i dag, and why is spiser the second element?
Norwegian follows the V2 (verb‐second) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position. Here Vi (subject) is first, spiser (verb) is second, and the object lokal mat plus the adverb i dag follow.
Can I move i dag to the front, and how does that affect the sentence?
Yes. If you start with a time adverbial, you still keep the verb in position two. You’d say:
I dag spiser vi lokal mat
(“Today, we are eating local food.”)
How is spiser pronounced in Norwegian?
Roughly /ˈspiːsər/. The s is like English “s,” the i is a long “ee” sound, and the final -er is pronounced with a schwa (ə) plus an r.
How do I say “we ate” instead—that is, what’s the past tense of spise?
The past tense of spise is spiste. So “we ate local food” would be:
Vi spiste lokal mat i går
(“Yesterday, we ate local food.”)