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Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Dyrlegen veier hunden. - The vet weighs the dog.

Hardcore Norwegian
/Caring for a pet and visiting the vet
/Dyrlegen veier hunden.

Dyrlegen veier hunden.

Dyrlegen veier hunden.

The vet weighs the dog.

Breakdown of Dyrlegen veier hunden.

the veterinarian; vet

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Questions & Answers about Dyrlegen veier hunden.

Why do dyrlegen and hunden end in -en?

Because Norwegian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun.

dyrlege = veterinarian / animal doctor
dyrlegen = the veterinarian
hund = dog
hunden = the dog

So instead of using a separate word like English the, Norwegian often adds -en, -a, or -et to the noun, depending on gender and form.

Why is there no separate word for the in the sentence?

In Norwegian, the definite article is often attached to the noun itself.

So:

English: the dog
Norwegian: hunden
English: the veterinarian
Norwegian: dyrlegen

This is one of the biggest differences from English. In a simple sentence like this, you do not need a separate word meaning the.

What does veier mean here, and what form is it?

Veier is the present tense of å veie, which means to weigh.

So:

å veie = to weigh
veier = weighs / is weighing

In this sentence, Dyrlegen veier hunden, it means The veterinarian weighs the dog or The veterinarian is weighing the dog, depending on context.

How do I know who is doing the action and who receives it?

Norwegian relies mostly on word order here.

The sentence follows the normal pattern:

Subject + Verb + Object

Dyrlegen = the subject, the one doing the action
veier = the verb
hunden = the object, the one being weighed

So Dyrlegen veier hunden means The veterinarian weighs the dog, not the other way around.

Is the word order in this sentence normal Norwegian word order?

Yes. This is the standard basic word order for a simple statement:

Subject + Verb + Object

So:

Dyrlegen = subject
veier = verb
hunden = object

This is very similar to English word order in a basic sentence.

Does veier mean weighs or is weighing?

It can mean either one.

Norwegian present tense often covers both:

English weighs
English is weighing

So without extra context, Dyrlegen veier hunden could mean:

The veterinarian weighs the dog
or
The veterinarian is weighing the dog

Norwegian does not usually need a separate progressive form like English does.

What is dyrlege made of? Is it a compound word?

Yes. Dyrlege is a compound noun:

dyr = animal
lege = doctor

So dyrlege literally means animal doctor, which is the Norwegian word for veterinarian.

Compound nouns are very common in Norwegian.

How is veier pronounced?

It is usually pronounced roughly like VAY-er.

A few helpful points:

v sounds like English v
ei often sounds like the vowel in English say or way
the final -er is a light ending

So veier is not pronounced like English vee-er. It is closer to VAY-er.

Why is Dyrlegen capitalized?

It is capitalized because it is the first word in the sentence, not because it is a special noun.

In Norwegian, common nouns are normally not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.

So:

Dyrlegen veier hunden.
but in the middle of a sentence: Jeg ser dyrlegen.

Would it be different if the sentence meant A veterinarian weighs a dog?

Yes. Then Norwegian would usually use the indefinite forms:

en dyrlege = a veterinarian
en hund = a dog

So the sentence would be:

En dyrlege veier en hund.

Compare:

Dyrlegen veier hunden. = The veterinarian weighs the dog.
En dyrlege veier en hund. = A veterinarian weighs a dog.

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