Numbers 0-20
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Norwegian numbers 0-20 are the foundation of all counting; memorize the unique names for 0-12 and the pattern for 13-20.
- Numbers 0-12 are unique: 0 (null), 1 (en), 2 (to)... 12 (tolv).
- Numbers 13-19 end in '-ten': 13 (tretten), 14 (fjorten), etc.
- 20 is a unique word: tjue.
Meanings
Cardinal numbers are used to count items, tell time, and express quantities in Norwegian.
Counting objects
Used to denote the quantity of countable items.
“Jeg har fem bøker.”
“Det er ti stoler her.”
Numbers 0-20
| Number | Norwegian | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | null | Unique |
| 1 | en/ei/ett | Unique |
| 2 | to | Unique |
| 3 | tre | Unique |
| 13 | tretten | tre + ten |
| 14 | fjorten | fire + ten |
| 20 | tjue | Unique |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 0-12 | Root word | to (2) |
| 13-19 | Root + ten | tretten (13) |
| 20 | Standalone | tjue (20) |
| 1 (Masc) | en | en gutt |
| 1 (Fem) | ei | ei jente |
| 1 (Neut) | ett | ett eple |
طیف رسمیت
Jeg har to. (General)
Jeg har to. (General)
Jeg har to. (General)
Har to. (General)
Number Groups
Unique
- • null
- • en
- • to
- • tre
Teen Pattern
- • tretten
- • fjorten
- • femten
Examples by Level
Jeg har en hund.
I have one dog.
Det er to katter.
There are two cats.
Jeg er tre år.
I am three years old.
Vi har fire epler.
We have four apples.
Hun har tretten bøker.
She has thirteen books.
Det koster fjorten kroner.
It costs fourteen kroner.
Jeg ser femten fugler.
I see fifteen birds.
Klokken er tjue.
The time is twenty (8 PM).
Jeg trenger ett eple til.
I need one more apple.
Det er sju dager i en uke.
There are seven days in a week.
Vi venter på atten personer.
We are waiting for eighteen people.
Hun har seksten venner.
She has sixteen friends.
Det er tolv måneder i et år.
There are twelve months in a year.
Jeg har elleve søskenbarn.
I have eleven cousins.
Det er nitten stoler i rommet.
There are nineteen chairs in the room.
Jeg kjøpte seks bananer.
I bought six bananas.
Det er ti minutter igjen.
There are ten minutes left.
Vi har null sjanse.
We have zero chance.
Hun har åtte katter.
She has eight cats.
Det er ni stykker.
There are nine pieces.
Jeg har to biler.
I have two cars.
Det er femten minutter til toget går.
There are fifteen minutes until the train leaves.
Hun er tjue år gammel.
She is twenty years old.
Det er elleve dager til jul.
There are eleven days until Christmas.
Easily Confused
Learners mix up masculine/feminine 'en' with neuter 'ett'.
Both are used, causing confusion.
Learners try to add '-ten'.
اشتباهات رایج
en eple
ett eple
treten
tretten
to-ten
tolv
eleven
elleve
fireten
fjorten
femten
femten
sju-ten
sytten
syv
sju/syv
tjue-en
tjueen
en gutt
en gutt
tjue en
tjueen
tretten
tretten
null
null
Sentence Patterns
Jeg har ___ epler.
Det er ___ stoler i rommet.
Jeg er ___ år gammel.
Vi trenger ___ minutter til.
Real World Usage
Jeg vil ha to kaffe.
Er der om 5 min.
Jeg har ti års erfaring.
Buss nummer fjorten.
Jeg bestiller tre pizzaer.
16 år i dag!
Gender matters
Irregular numbers
Practice counting
Sju vs Syv
Smart Tips
Check the noun gender first to pick the right 'one'.
Always use the '-ten' suffix.
Pick 'sju' or 'syv' and stick to it.
Write them as one word.
تلفظ
Double consonants
Double consonants like in 'tretten' mean the preceding vowel is short.
Counting
en, to, tre...
Flat, steady rhythm.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of 'ten' as a suffix that means 'plus ten'. So 'tre' (3) + 'ten' = 'tretten' (13).
Visual Association
Imagine a teenager (teen) wearing a shirt with the number 13 on it. The shirt is made of 'tre' (wood).
Rhyme
Null to to, tre fire fem, seks sju åtte, ni ti, elleve tolv, tretten fjorten, femten seksten, sytten atten, nitten tjue.
Story
I have one (en) apple. I see two (to) birds. I count three (tre) trees. Suddenly, thirteen (tretten) squirrels appear and steal my twenty (tjue) nuts.
Word Web
چالش
Count every object you see in your room from 1 to 20 in Norwegian.
نکات فرهنگی
Numbers are used in everyday life, especially in social settings like 'dugnad' (community work) where counting people is common.
Norwegian numbers are of North Germanic origin, sharing roots with Old Norse.
Conversation Starters
Hvor mange søsken har du?
Hvor mange epler vil du ha?
Hva er nummeret ditt?
Hvor mange år har du bodd her?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
Jeg har ___ (3) epler.
14 in Norwegian is:
Find and fix the mistake:
Jeg har en eple.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
har / jeg / to / hunder
11 is elleveten.
A: Hvor mange? B: ___.
___ (1) gutt.
Score: /8
تمرینهای عملی
8 exercisesJeg har ___ (3) epler.
14 in Norwegian is:
Find and fix the mistake:
Jeg har en eple.
12
har / jeg / to / hunder
11 is elleveten.
A: Hvor mange? B: ___.
___ (1) gutt.
Score: /8
سوالات متداول (8)
It is an irregular number, just like 12. You must memorize them.
Both are correct. 'Sju' is more common in spoken Norwegian.
No, it depends on the noun gender: en (masc), ei (fem), ett (neut).
In formal writing, use words for small numbers. In texting, digits are fine.
20 is 'tjue'.
No, just add '-ten' to the base number.
The root 'fire' changes to 'fjor' for phonetic reasons.
Yes, they are used for telling time in Norwegian.
In Other Languages
eins, zwei, drei...
German has more complex gender/case endings.
un, deux, trois...
French numbers don't have gender agreement like Norwegian.
uno, dos, tres...
Spanish 'uno' agrees with noun gender, similar to Norwegian.
ichi, ni, san...
Japanese uses counters for different objects.
wahid, ithnan, thalatha...
Arabic has dual forms and complex gender rules.
yi, er, san...
Chinese has no verb/noun conjugation.
