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Questions & Answers about Jeg venter på lønnen.
What does venter på mean in this sentence?
Venter is the present-tense form of vente (to wait). When you add the preposition på, venter på means “am waiting for.”
Why does vente need the preposition på? Could I say venter lønnen instead?
In Norwegian, vente is always followed by på when you wait for something—vente på noe = “wait for something.” Omitting på (venter lønnen) is ungrammatical.
What does lønnen mean? Why is there an -en ending?
Lønn means “salary” or “wages.” Norwegian marks definiteness by adding a suffix: for common-gender nouns like lønn, you add -en, so lønnen = “the salary.”
Can I say Jeg venter på lønn without the -en? How does that change the meaning?
Yes. Jeg venter på lønn means “I’m waiting for pay/salary” in a general sense (unspecified amount or time). Jeg venter på lønnen (with -en) refers to a specific salary you expect (for example, this month’s paycheck).