Word
Alle trenger en venn.
Meaning
Everyone needs a friend.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Alle trenger en venn.
What is the role of Alle in this sentence, and when do you use it?
Alle is an indefinite pronoun meaning everyone or all. Here, it’s the subject: Everyone needs a friend.
- As everyone, it stands alone (no noun after it).
- To say “all people,” you’d use alle
- plural noun (e.g. alle mennesker = all people).
Why is there no å before trenger, unlike English “need to”?
In Norwegian, trenger can be a transitive verb taking a direct object, so you say trenger en venn (need a friend).
- If you want “need to do something,” you add å before the infinitive: trenger å gjøre noe (need to do something).
Why is the object singular (en venn) and not plural (venner)?
Using the singular with an indefinite article makes a general statement about a type of person: Everyone needs a friend.
- Alle trenger venner (plural) is also correct but implies friends in general, not the “one friend” idea.
What gender is venn, and which articles does it take?