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Questions & Answers about Jeg venter på pasientens svar.
Why do we need the preposition på after venter, instead of just venter pasientens svar?
In Norwegian, the verb vente meaning “to wait for” always requires på to introduce the thing you’re waiting for. So the pattern is vente på + object. Without på, the sentence is incomplete.
Why is pasientens used here, and why does it have an -s at the end?
Norwegian forms the possessive (genitive) by adding -s to the noun, just like English “patient’s.” So pasientens svar literally means “the patient’s answer.”
Why isn’t there an article before pasientens svar? Shouldn’t it be det pasientens svar or something similar?
When you use a possessive like pasientens, the noun phrase is already definite. You don’t need an extra article—the -s possessive marker makes it “the patient’s answer” automatically.
Could I also say svaret fra pasienten instead of pasientens svar?
Yes. Svaret fra pasienten (“the answer from the patient”) is equally correct. It’s just another way to show possession, using fra (“from”) instead of the genitive -s.
Is svar singular or plural? It looks the same in both cases.
Svar is invariant: the form doesn’t change.
• Indefinite singular: et svar
• Definite singular: svaret
• Indefinite plural: svar
• Definite plural: svarene
Is venter in present tense enough to mean “am waiting”? Why isn’t there a continuous form like in English?
Norwegian does not distinguish between simple and continuous present. The single present-tense form venter covers both “I wait” and “I am waiting.” Context tells you which one.
Could I use etter instead of på with vente?
In some Norwegian dialects you’ll hear vente etter, but in standard Bokmål the correct preposition is på. Stick with vente på in formal and written contexts.
Can I start the sentence with Pasientens svar, as in Pasientens svar venter jeg på?
Yes—Norwegian follows the V2 rule (finite verb in second position). By fronting Pasientens svar, you get:
Pasientens svar venter jeg på.
This is grammatically correct but sounds more formal or emphatic than the neutral word order.