Foreldrene er enige om avtalen.

The parents agree on the appointment.

Breakdown of Foreldrene er enige om avtalen.

• avtalen: the appointment
• forelderen: the parent
• være enig om: to agree

Questions & Answers about Foreldrene er enige om avtalen.

What does “Foreldrene” mean exactly, and what is the -ne ending?

Foreldrene means “the parents”.

• The base word is foreldre = parents (plural, indefinite).
• Adding -ne makes it definite plural: foreldre + ne → foreldrene = the parents.

So:

• foreldre = parents
• foreldrene = the parents

Norwegian usually marks definiteness with an ending instead of a separate word “the” in front, so you don’t say de foreldre, you say foreldrene.

Why is it “er enige” and not “er enig”?

Because “foreldrene” is plural, the adjective has to be in plural form too.

• enig = agreed / in agreement (singular form)
• enige = agreed / in agreement (plural form)

So:

• Jeg er enig. = I am agreed / I agree.
• Hun er enig. = She is agreed / She agrees.
• Vi er enige. = We are agreed / We agree.
• Foreldrene er enige. = The parents agree / are in agreement.

In other words, “enige” is just the plural of “enig.”

What does the expression “er enige om” mean?

“Er enige om” literally means “are in agreement about” or “agree on/about.”

The full pattern is:

• være enig med noen om noe
  = to agree with someone about something

In your sentence:

• Foreldrene = the parents (the people who agree)
• er enige om = are agreed about / agree on
• avtalen = the agreement / the deal

So “Foreldrene er enige om avtalen.” =
“The parents agree on the agreement / are in agreement about the agreement.”

Why is the preposition “om” used here, and not “med” or something else?

With “enig(e)”, Norwegian typically uses:

• enig med noen (person) = agree with someone
• enig om noe (topic/thing) = agree about/on something

Examples:

• Jeg er enig med deg. = I agree with you.
• Vi er enige om planen. = We agree on/about the plan.

In your sentence there’s no explicit “with someone,” only the topic:

• om avtalen → about the agreement

So “om” is the correct preposition because it introduces what they agree about, not who they agree with.

What’s the difference between “enige om avtalen” and “enige i avtalen”?

Both can be used, but there is a nuance:

• enig om noe
  = agree on/about something (focus on reaching an agreement together)
• enig i noe
  = agree with / accept something (often: you agree with a statement, opinion, decision, etc.)

So:

• Foreldrene er enige om avtalen.
  → The parents have come to the same agreement; they have a common position about the agreement.

• Foreldrene er enige i avtalen.
  → The parents approve/accept the agreement; they think the agreement is okay / they agree with it.

In many everyday contexts both are possible, but:

• om emphasizes their mutual agreement with each other about the deal.
• i emphasizes that they accept the content of the deal.

Why is it “avtalen” and not just “avtale”?

Avtale means “agreement / deal / appointment” (indefinite singular).

Adding -n makes it definite:

• avtale = an agreement
• avtalen = the agreement

We use the definite form when the agreement is known or specific in the context—maybe it was mentioned before, or both speakers know which agreement is meant.

So:

• Foreldrene er enige om en avtale. = The parents agree about an agreement (some agreement, not specified).
• Foreldrene er enige om avtalen. = The parents agree about the agreement (a specific one).

Can this sentence also mean “The parents agree with the agreement,” or is it only “agree with each other about it”?

The primary reading of “Foreldrene er enige om avtalen.” is:

• The parents are in agreement with each other about the agreement.

It implies:

• They share the same view about it.
• They have reached an agreement together.

If you want to stress that they approve or are okay with the content of the agreement itself, many speakers would more naturally say:

• Foreldrene er enige i avtalen.
  (They agree with the agreement / accept it.)

But context often makes the intended meaning clear, and in casual speech “enige om avtalen” can be heard with both nuances.

How would the sentence look in the past tense or future?

Change only the verb “er”:

• Present:
  Foreldrene er enige om avtalen.
  = The parents are in agreement about the agreement.

• Past:
  Foreldrene var enige om avtalen.
  = The parents were in agreement about the agreement.

For a future idea, you’d normally use “bli” (become):

• Foreldrene skal bli enige om avtalen.
  = The parents will (eventually) come to an agreement about the agreement.
• Foreldrene blir nok enige om avtalen.
  = The parents will probably end up agreeing about the agreement.

Is the word order fixed, or can I say “Foreldrene om avtalen er enige”?

The normal, natural word order is:

• Subject – Verb – Predicate – (extra info)
• Foreldrene (S) er (V) enige (predicative adjective) om avtalen (prepositional phrase).

So:

• ✔ Foreldrene er enige om avtalen. (correct, natural)
• ✖ Foreldrene om avtalen er enige. (unnatural / wrong in standard Norwegian)

You can move “om avtalen” earlier only in marked or poetic contexts, but for normal speech and writing, keep it at the end as in the original sentence.

How would I say “The parents agree that the agreement is fair” using this structure?

You can extend “enige om” with a clause using “at” (that):

• Foreldrene er enige om at avtalen er rettferdig.
  = The parents agree that the agreement is fair.

Structure:

• Foreldrene = the parents
• er enige om = agree that / are in agreement about
• at avtalen er rettferdig = that the agreement is fair (subordinate clause)

You can substitute the clause for other content:

• Foreldrene er enige om at barna skal være hjemme klokka ti.
  = The parents agree that the children must be home at ten.