Hunden prøver å bite.

the dog

Breakdown of Hunden prøver å bite.

• å: to
• prøve: to try
• bite: to bite

Questions & Answers about Hunden prøver å bite.

Why is it hunden and not hund?

Because hunden is the definite singular form: the dog.

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun:

• en hund = a dog
• hunden = the dog

So the -en ending here works like English the.

What form is prøver?

Prøver is the present tense of the verb å prøve.

So:

• å prøve = to try
• prøver = try / tries / am trying / is trying / are trying, depending on context

Norwegian verbs do not change for different persons the way English verbs do. So the same form is used with all subjects:

• jeg prøver
• du prøver
• hunden prøver

Why is there an å before bite?

Here å is the infinitive marker, similar to English to.

So:

• å bite = to bite

After prøver, Norwegian normally uses å + infinitive:

• prøver å bite = tries to bite / is trying to bite

This is a very common pattern:

• prøver å sove = tries to sleep
• prøver å lære = tries to learn