Breakdown of Læreren tar elevenes spørsmål på alvor.
Questions & Answers about Læreren tar elevenes spørsmål på alvor.
Word-by-word:
Læreren – the teacher
- lærer = teacher
- -en = the (definite singular ending)
tar – takes (present tense of å ta = to take)
elevenes – the students’ / the pupils’ (possessive “of the students”)
spørsmål – question / questions (same form for singular and plural in the indefinite)
på – on / in / at (here part of an expression)
alvor – seriousness
So literally something like: “The teacher takes the students’ question(s) in seriousness.” → idiomatically: “The teacher takes the students’ questions seriously.”
Yes. Elevenes spørsmål is a possessive construction, equivalent to:
- the students’ questions
- the questions of the students
Grammar-wise:
- elevenes = “the students’” (definite plural + possessive -s)
- spørsmål = “question(s)”
Norwegian often prefers this [possessor]-s + [thing possessed] pattern instead of an of-phrase:
- elevenes bøker = the students’ books
- Norges hovedstad = the capital of Norway
So elevenes spørsmål is the most natural way to say “the students’ questions.”
Declension of elev (student / pupil):
- en elev – a student (indefinite singular)
- eleven – the student (definite singular)
- elever – students (indefinite plural)
- elevene – the students (definite plural)
To make the possessive (genitive), you add -s to the definite form:
- elevens bok – the student’s book
- elevenes bok / bøker – the students’ book / books
So:
- elevene (the students) + -s → elevenes (the students’).
In Norwegian, when a noun is possessed (with -s or a possessive like min, din, hans), it normally does not take its own definite article:
- elevenes spørsmål – the students’ questions (not spørsmålene)
- min bok – my book (not min boken)
- hans bil – his car (not hans bilen)
So elevenes already makes the phrase definite; adding -ene (spørsmålene) would sound redundant here.
Also, spørsmål has the same form for singular and plural in the indefinite, so spørsmål can mean either question or questions depending on context. With elevenes, we naturally understand it as questions.
Yes, på alvor is a set expression meaning “seriously” (in the sense of taking something seriously, treating it as important).
Literal parts:
- på – on / in / at
- alvor – seriousness
Common uses:
- å ta noe på alvor – to take something seriously
- Dette må vi ta på alvor. – We have to take this seriously.
In this sentence, tar … på alvor is really best understood as one unit: “takes … seriously.”
You could say Læreren tar på alvor elevenes spørsmål, and it’s grammatically possible, but it sounds a bit marked and less natural in everyday speech.
The neutral word order is:
- Subject – Verb – Object – Other information
- Læreren (subject)
- tar (verb)
- elevenes spørsmål (object)
- på alvor (adverbial/prepositional phrase)
So Læreren tar elevenes spørsmål på alvor is the default, natural order. Moving på alvor earlier would usually be done only for special emphasis or stylistic effect.
Norwegian marks definiteness mainly with an ending:
- en lærer – a teacher (indefinite)
- læreren – the teacher (definite)
Using læreren implies that the teacher is known or specific in the context, just like English the teacher:
- We’re talking about a particular teacher everyone knows about.
If you said:
- En lærer tar elevenes spørsmål på alvor.
it would mean “A teacher takes the students’ questions seriously” – more general, like “a teacher (in general)” or “some teacher.” The original sentence is about a specific teacher.
Yes. Å ta = to take; tar is the present tense:
- Jeg tar bussen. – I take the bus / I’m taking the bus.
- Hun tar ansvar. – She takes responsibility.
- Læreren tar elevenes spørsmål på alvor. – The teacher takes the students’ questions seriously.
Norwegian present tense tar covers both:
- English simple present: takes
- English present continuous: is taking
Context decides which English form is best in translation.
You can, and people do say it:
- seriøst = seriously (adverb)
Læreren tar elevenes spørsmål seriøst is understandable and acceptable, but:
- ta noe på alvor is the most idiomatic choice for this exact meaning.
- seriøst can sometimes sound a bit more colloquial or emotional (“for real, not joking”), depending on context.
In this particular sentence, på alvor is the more neutral and standard expression.
Yes, that is grammatically correct:
- spørsmålene til elevene = the questions of the students
Comparison:
- elevenes spørsmål – very natural, compact, and slightly more formal/neutral.
- spørsmålene til elevene – also correct; can sound a bit more spoken or explanatory.
Both mean “the students’ questions”, but elevenes spørsmål is usually preferred in written Norwegian when it’s a simple “X’s Y” relationship.
Key points (Standard East Norwegian-ish):
- æ in Lærer-: like a in English cat, but a bit tenser.
- -eren: roughly “eh-ren”, with the r tapped once.
- tar: like English tar (as in road tar), with a clear r.
elevenes:
- e- like e in bed
- stress on LE: e-LE-ve-nes
spørsmål:
- ø like the vowel in British bird or German ö
- -sm-: both s and m are pronounced
- final -ål like oal in goal, but shorter
- på: like English paw (long vowel)
- alvor: stress on AL: AL-vor, with a clear v and r.
Putting it together smoothly is what makes it sound natural; the main stressed syllables are: LÆR – TAR – LE (in elevenes) – SPØR – AL (in alvor).