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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).
Why isn’t there a separate word for “the” before lønn?
Unlike English, Norwegian attaches the definite article as an ending to the noun. Indefinite: en lønn (“a salary”), definite: lønnen (“the salary”). There is no standalone the.
How do you pronounce the ø in lønnen?
Ø is a mid-front rounded vowel. It’s similar to the “i” in English bird (American) but with your lips rounded as if saying o. Try saying e while rounding your lips.
Is venter the same as the English present continuous “am waiting”?
Norwegian does not distinguish between simple present and present continuous. The single present-tense form (venter) covers both “wait” and “am waiting.”
Can I drop Jeg and just say Venter på lønnen?
In informal speech or notes you might omit the subject if context is clear. But in standard written and spoken Norwegian, you normally include the pronoun: Jeg venter på lønnen.