Erfaringen gjør oss sterkere.

The experience makes us stronger.

Breakdown of Erfaringen gjør oss sterkere.

• oss: us
• gjøre: to make
• 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?

Short adjectives in Norwegian form the comparative by adding -ere directly: sterk → sterkere. The mer + adjective construction is reserved for longer adjectives or loanwords (e.g. mer interessant).

Why does oss come before sterkere rather than after?

Norwegian word order in a simple statement is Subject-Verb-Object-Complement. In Erfaringen gjør oss sterkere:

• Subject: Erfaringen
• Verb: gjør
• Object: oss
• Complement: sterkere

How else can you express “We become stronger through experience” in Norwegian?

One common alternative is:
Vi blir sterkere gjennom erfaring.
Here, blir means “become,” and gjennom erfaring means “through experience.”

Is there a difference in nuance between Erfaringen gjør oss sterkere and Vi blir sterkere av erfaring?

Yes.

• Erfaringen gjør oss sterkere places experience as the active subject that makes us stronger.
• Vi blir sterkere av erfaring puts we as the subject and uses av erfaring (“by/through experience”) to show the cause. Both convey the same idea, but the focus shifts slightly.