Breakdown of Erfaringen gjør oss sterkere.
oss
us
gjøre
to make (to cause)
sterk
strong
erfaringen
the experience
Questions & Answers about Erfaringen gjør oss sterkere.
What does the -en ending on erfaringen indicate?
The -en suffix marks the definite singular form of the noun erfaring. While English simply says experience for both generic and specific, Norwegian often uses the definite singular (erfaringen) when speaking about experience in general.
Could you just say Erfaring gjør oss sterkere instead?
Yes, Erfaring gjør oss sterkere is grammatically correct and emphasizes some experience rather than experience as a whole. However, using the definite form (erfaringen) often sounds more natural when referring to the concept of experience generally.
What is the role of gjør in this sentence and how is it conjugated?
gjør is the present-tense form of the verb å gjøre (to make/do). The full present-tense conjugation is:
- jeg gjør
- du gjør
- han/hun/den/det gjør
- vi gjør
- dere gjør
- de gjør
Here, gjør means “makes” or “does,” so Erfaringen gjør oss sterkere literally means “The experience makes us stronger.”
Why is sterkere used instead of mer sterk?