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Questions & Answers about Han hoster hele natten.
How do you pronounce the sentence?
- IPA (one common accent): [hɑn ˈhʊstəɾ ˈheːlə ˈnɑtːən]
- Rough guide: hahn HOOS-ter HAY-leh NAHT-ten Notes:
- The o in hoster is like the vowel in English foot.
- The tt in natten is a long/double t.
- Final -er is typically pronounced with a schwa: -ə and a light tap r.
Why is natten definite when English says “all night” (no “the”)?
Norwegian uses hele + definite singular to mean “the whole [period]”:
- hele natten = the whole night (= “all night”) This is a pattern: hele dagen (all day), hele uken/uka (all week), etc.
Can I say hele natt?
No. You have two natural options:
- en hel natt = a whole night (indefinite)
- hele natten = the whole night / all night (definite)
What’s the difference between natten and natta?
Both are correct in Bokmål:
- natten: more formal/standard written style (definite with -en)
- natta: feminine definite form, very common in speech and informal writing Your sentence can also be: Han hoster hele natta.
What are the gender and plural forms of natt?
- Indefinite singular: en/ei natt
- Definite singular: natten/natta
- Indefinite plural: netter
- Definite plural: nettene Example: to netter = two nights.
How do I conjugate the verb hoste?
- Infinitive: å hoste
- Present: hoster (used for all persons)
- Preterite: hostet (also hosta in colloquial Bokmål)
- Present perfect: har hostet (also har hosta)
- Imperative: Host! Note: Norwegian doesn’t use a special “-ing” form like English; see next question.
Does the present hoster mean both “coughs” and “is coughing”?
Yes. Norwegian present covers both simple and progressive meanings. Han hoster can mean “He coughs” (habitually) or “He is coughing” (right now). Context and time expressions clarify the meaning.
How do I say “He coughed all night” and “He has been coughing all night”?
- Simple past: Han hostet (hosta) hele natten.
- Present perfect (ongoing/recent relevance): Han har hostet hele natten. You’ll also hear: Han har hostet i hele natt.
Where does the time expression go? Can I front it?
Neutral order puts it after the verb: Han hoster hele natten. You can front it for emphasis; remember Norwegian V2 (the verb stays in second position):
- Hele natten hoster han.
- Past example with a time adverbial: I natt hostet han hele natten.
Do I need i natt to mean “last night”? Is hele natten i natt okay?
You don’t need i natt if context already makes the time clear. To explicitly say “last night,” use the past and add i natt:
- Han hostet (hosta) i natt. If you also want to stress the duration, people do say the (slightly redundant) Han hostet hele natten i natt or more colloquially Han hostet hele natta i natt, especially in speech.
What’s the difference between om natten and hele natten?
- om natten = at night (habitually/generally): Han hoster om natten = He coughs at night (as a rule).
- hele natten = the entire night (a specific duration on a given night): Han hoster hele natten = He coughs all night.
How would I say “He coughs all evening” instead?
Use kveld: Han hoster hele kvelden.
Evening (kveld) is earlier; night (natt) is later.
What’s the difference between hoste and kremte?
- hoste = to cough (due to illness/irritation).
- kremte = to clear one’s throat (a short, soft cough-like sound), often to get attention.
How do I negate the sentence?
Place ikke after the finite verb:
- Han hoster ikke hele natten. Past: Han hostet ikke hele natten.
Are there alternative ways to say “all night”?
Yes:
- natten lang: Han hostet natten lang. (a bit literary)
- gjennom hele natten / natten igjennom: Han hostet gjennom hele natten.
Why is it hele here and not helt? How does hel inflect?
The adjective hel inflects:
- Indefinite: en hel dag, ei hel natt, et helt år
- Definite singular and plural: hele → hele natten, hele dagene In your sentence, natten is definite singular, so you use hele.