Questions & Answers about Jeg forstår betydningen nå.
Why is betydningen in the definite form with -en? Would Jeg forstår betydning nå also be correct?
Betydning is a countable noun in Norwegian (like meaning in English), so it normally needs an article or a determiner.
- betydning = a meaning (indefinite, singular)
- betydningen = the meaning (definite, singular)
In your sentence you are talking about a specific, known meaning (for example, the meaning of a particular word, sentence, or situation), so Norwegian uses the definite form: betydningen.
- Jeg forstår betydningen nå.
= I understand the meaning now.
If you wanted the indefinite form, you would normally say:
- Jeg forstår en betydning nå.
= I understand a meaning now. (This is unusual in most contexts.)
Jeg forstår betydning nå is not natural Norwegian; you can’t just leave the noun bare like that in this context. You either need en betydning or betydningen (or another determiner like den, ingen, noe, etc.), unless it’s in a special fixed expression (see a later question about article-less use).
Could I also say Jeg forstår nå betydningen or Nå forstår jeg betydningen? Are these all correct, and do they sound different?