Jeg har én venn.

I have one friend.

Breakdown of Jeg har én venn.

• jeg: I
• ha: to have
• vennen: the friend
• én: one

Questions & Answers about Jeg har én venn.

Why is én written with an accent?

In Norwegian, the accent on én indicates the numeral “one.” Without the accent, en usually functions as the indefinite article “a/an.” The accent helps you distinguish “I have one friend” (én = number) from “I have a friend” (en = article).

What’s the difference between én and en?

• én (accented) always means the numeral “one.”
• en (unaccented) is the masculine/feminine indefinite article meaning “a” or “an.”
  So jeg har én venn = “I have one friend,” while jeg har en venn = “I have a friend.”

Why didn’t we use ett instead of én?

Norwegian has two grammatical genders for nouns: common (masculine/feminine) and neuter. The numeral “one” agrees with the noun’s gender.

• én (sometimes also written en) is used with common‐gender nouns (like venn, which is common).
• ett is used with neuter nouns (for example ett hus, “one house”).

What part of speech is har, and how is it used?

har is the present-tense form of the verb å ha (“to have”). In this sentence it simply means “have.” Norwegian verbs don’t conjugate for person (I have, you have, he has all use har).

Why is the word order Jeg har én venn instead of something else?

Standard Norwegian follows a Subject–Verb–Object (SVO) order, just like English.

1. Jeg (subject)
2. har (verb)
3. én venn (object)

That’s why the sentence is Jeg har én venn.

Can I leave out the accent and still be understood?

Yes—Jeg har en venn (without accent) is perfectly normal and means “I have a friend.” But if you really want to stress that it’s exactly one friend (not two or more), you’d use the accented én.

Does venn change form depending on gender or number?

Venn is a common‐gender noun. In the indefinite singular it’s en venn; in the definite singular it’s vennen; and in the indefinite plural it’s venner. So:

• en venn (a friend)
• to venner (two friends)
• vennene (the friends)

How do you pronounce Jeg har én venn?

Approximate pronunciation:

• Jeg [yai] (like English “eye” with a “y” in front)
• har [har] (similar to English “har” in “hard,” but shorter r)
• én [e:n] (long “e” as in “say,” held a bit longer)
• venn [ven] (like “ven” in “vent”)
  Put lightly together: yai har e:n ven.