Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg sender en kort tekstmelding til min venninne om kjolen. - I send a short text message to my female friend about the dress.

Venninne means “female friend.” Venn is gender‑neutral in modern Bokmål and can refer to any friend; it can also mean specifically “male friend” if context makes gender relevant. Many speakers prefer gender‑neutral venn unless they want to emphasize that the friend is female.

Could I say “venninnen min” or “venninna mi” instead of “min venninne”? What’s the difference?

Yes. You have two main patterns for possessives:

Preposed possessive (no definite ending): min venninne, mi venninne (more emphasis on “my”).
Postposed possessive (definite noun): venninnen min (more formal/neutral), venninna mi (very common in speech). All are correct in Bokmål. Postposed is often the most natural in everyday Norwegian: “til venninnen min.”

Why is it en kort tekstmelding and not et kort tekstmelding?

Because tekstmelding is a common‑gender noun in Bokmål, so the indefinite article is en (an alternative feminine form ei is also possible in Bokmål: ei tekstmelding). The neuter article et is only used with neuter nouns.

Why is the adjective kort not korte here?

In indefinite singular, attributive adjectives take the base form: en kort tekstmelding. In definite singular and in plural, you use korte:

Definite: den korte tekstmeldingen
Plural: korte tekstmeldinger

Can I just say en melding or en SMS instead of en tekstmelding?

Yes. All are idiomatic:

en tekstmelding (text message)
en melding (message; commonly used for texts in context)
en SMS (very common) Examples: “Jeg sender en melding” / “Jeg sender en SMS.”

Why is it om kjolen (the dress) and not om en kjole (a dress)?

Because the sentence refers to a specific, known dress. Norwegian uses the definite form to mark known/specific referents: kjolen = “the dress.” If you meant any dress, you’d say om en kjole.

Could I use angående instead of om?

Yes, but angående kjolen is more formal or businesslike. Om kjolen is the default in everyday speech and writing. Very formal alternatives include vedrørende (bureaucratic style).

Why is it til min venninne and not for min venninne?

With verbs of sending/giving, til marks the recipient/addressee: “sende noe til noen.” For means “for (the benefit of)” and doesn’t mark the recipient. “Jeg sender en melding til henne” is correct; “for henne” would mean you’re doing it on her behalf.

Can I say Jeg sender venninnen min en kort tekstmelding (double‑object order)?

Yes. Both are fine:

Jeg sender en kort tekstmelding til venninnen min.
Jeg sender venninnen min en kort tekstmelding. The first (with til) is slightly more common and unambiguous; the double‑object version is also idiomatic.

Is tekstmelding one word? Why not tekst melding?

Yes, Norwegian writes compounds as one word: tekstmelding. Writing it as two words is incorrect. A hyphen (tekst‑melding) is only used to avoid ambiguity or for readability in unusual cases.

What tense is sender, and does it cover “I am sending” as well?

Sender is the present tense of å sende. Norwegian present covers both English simple present and present progressive:

“Jeg sender …” = “I send …” / “I am sending …” To emphasize ongoing action, you can say Jeg holder på å sende …, but it’s not usually necessary.

What are the principal parts of å sende?

Infinitive: å sende Present: sender Preterite (past): sendte Past participle: har sendt (present perfect: “jeg har sendt”)

Can I move the phrases around? For example: Til min venninne sender jeg en kort tekstmelding om kjolen?

Yes. Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule (the finite verb is the second element). If you front an adverbial, the subject follows the verb:

Neutral: Jeg sender en kort tekstmelding til venninnen min om kjolen.
Fronted recipient: Til venninnen min sender jeg en kort tekstmelding om kjolen. You can also swap the two prepositional phrases: “… om kjolen til venninnen min.”

Could I replace til min venninne with til henne?

Yes. Pronoun objects are common once the referent is clear:

Jeg sender en kort tekstmelding til henne. Object pronouns: meg, deg, ham/han, henne, oss, dere, dem.

Which possessive form should I use with feminine nouns: min or mi?

In Bokmål, feminine nouns can take either the common‑gender set (min, din) or the feminine set (mi, di). Use whichever system you prefer, but be consistent in a text. Examples:

Preposed: min venninne / mi venninne
Postposed: venninnen min (more formal) / venninna mi (very common in speech)

Is jeg always capitalized like English I?

No. jeg is only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence (normal capitalization rules). Unlike English, the 1st‑person pronoun is not capitalized in the middle of a sentence.

What gender is kjole, and how do I inflect it?

Kjole is common gender (traditionally masculine). Forms:

Indefinite singular: en kjole
Definite singular: kjolen
Indefinite plural: kjoler
Definite plural: kjolene