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Questions & Answers about Kneet gjør vondt i dag.
Why is it kneet and not kne at the beginning of the sentence?
Kneet is the definite form of the noun kne (knee).
- et kne = a knee (indefinite, neuter)
- kneet = the knee (definite, neuter)
In Norwegian, you normally mark definiteness by adding an ending to the noun, not by using a separate word like the. So kneet gjør vondt literally means the knee hurts / the knee is hurting.
Why is the adjective vondt and not vond?
The base adjective is vond (painful, sore, bad), but:
- vond = common gender singular
- vondt = neuter singular
- vonde = plural / definite
In the expression gjøre vondt (to hurt), vondt is used in the neuter form because the phrase behaves a bit like det er vondt (it is painful). Here vondt is almost like an adverbial painfully.
So you say:
- Det gjør vondt. = It hurts.
- Kneet gjør vondt. = The knee hurts.
You do not say Kneet gjør vond in this meaning.