A1 noun Neutre

en

/ɛn/
Practice it

Exemples

1

2

Collocations courantes

en bil
en båt
en gutt
en jente

Souvent confondu avec

en vs et

Used for neuter nouns

en vs ei

Used for feminine nouns (alternative to 'en' for some dialects/words)

Modèles grammaticaux

En is an indefinite article for masculine nouns. It precedes a singular, masculine noun. Example: en bil (a car), en mann (a man), en gutt (a boy).

How to Use It

Notes d'usage

The choice between 'en' and 'et' depends entirely on the grammatical gender of the noun it precedes. For masculine nouns, 'en' is used (e.g., 'en mann' - a man). For feminine nouns, 'en' is commonly used, especially in spoken Norwegian and increasingly in written Bokmål (e.g., 'en jente' - a girl, though 'ei jente' is also correct and still used). For neuter nouns, 'et' is used (e.g., 'et hus' - a house). There are no strict rules for determining a noun's gender based on its spelling or meaning, so memorization of noun genders is often necessary. Dictionaries typically indicate the gender of each noun. It's important to note that the definite form of a noun also reflects its gender (e.g., 'mannen' - the man, 'jenta/jenten' - the girl, 'husset' - the house). Incorrect use of 'en' or 'et' does not usually impede understanding but marks a speaker as non-native. When in doubt, 'en' for masculine/feminine and 'et' for neuter is the general rule to follow.

Erreurs courantes

Forgetting that 'en' covers both masculine and feminine. Sometimes learners might try to use a separate form for feminine, but 'en' is correct for both. Also, incorrectly using 'et' (neuter) for masculine or feminine nouns.

Tips

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Gender agreement

In Norwegian, articles agree in gender with the noun they modify. 'En' is used for masculine nouns.

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Indefinite article

'En' is an indefinite article, meaning 'a' or 'an'. For definite masculine nouns, you would use '-en' as a suffix (e.g., 'mannen' - 'the man').

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Common masculine nouns

Many common nouns are masculine. It's helpful to learn the gender of nouns as you encounter them.

Origine du mot

From Old Norse 'einn', from Proto-Germanic '*ainaz', from Proto-Indo-European '*oinos'. Cognates include English 'one', German 'ein', Dutch 'een', Swedish 'en', Danish 'en'. The word has maintained its core meaning of 'one' or 'a/an' throughout its history, evolving phonetically but consistently referring to singularity. In Norwegian, it functions as an indefinite article for masculine and feminine nouns, and also as the numeral 'one'. Its usage as an indefinite article developed from its original numerical sense, where 'one' could imply 'a certain' or 'any one'. The grammatical gender agreement seen in Norwegian ('en' for masculine/feminine, 'et' for neuter) is a common feature among Germanic languages for indefinite articles.

Contexte culturel

In Norwegian, the indefinite article 'en' (masculine/feminine) or 'et' (neuter) is crucial for understanding gendered nouns, a concept that can be challenging for English speakers. Unlike English, where 'a' or 'an' doesn't change based on the noun, Norwegian nouns inherently have a gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter), which dictates the form of the indefinite article. While historically there were three distinct genders, in contemporary spoken Norwegian, especially in Eastern Norway, feminine nouns often take the masculine article 'en', effectively merging masculine and feminine into a common gender. However, in written Bokmål and in some dialects, the distinction for feminine nouns using 'ei' (feminine indefinite article) is still present and considered correct. Understanding this grammatical feature is fundamental for proper sentence construction and comprehension of written and spoken Norwegian. The choice between 'en' and 'et' also impacts the indefinite plural forms, further highlighting its importance in the language's structure.

Astuce mémo

Think of 'en' as a general 'a' for a large group of nouns. If you're unsure of the gender, 'en' is often a good guess as it covers two genders.

Questions fréquentes

4 questions

The Norwegian word for 'a' or 'an' is 'en' for masculine and feminine singular nouns, and 'et' for neuter singular nouns. For example, 'en bil' (a car) uses 'en' because 'bil' is a masculine noun. 'Et hus' (a house) uses 'et' because 'hus' is a neuter noun. The choice between 'en' and 'et' depends on the grammatical gender of the noun it precedes. In Norwegian, nouns have either masculine, feminine, or neuter gender, which is a fundamental aspect of the language's grammar. There is no direct equivalent to 'an' like in English where it's used before vowels; instead, the gender of the noun dictates the indefinite article.

You use 'en' in Norwegian as the indefinite article for masculine and feminine singular nouns. For instance, if you are referring to a masculine noun like 'mann' (man), you would say 'en mann'. Similarly, for a feminine noun like 'bok' (book), you would say 'en bok'. It's crucial to know the gender of the noun to correctly apply 'en' or 'et'. While 'en' covers two of the three genders, mastering noun genders is key to proper indefinite article usage in Norwegian. This is a common point of focus for learners of Norwegian grammar.

The main difference between 'en' and 'et' in Norwegian lies in the grammatical gender of the noun they accompany. 'En' is used for masculine and feminine singular nouns, while 'et' is used for neuter singular nouns. For example, 'en gutt' (a boy) uses 'en' because 'gutt' is masculine. 'En jente' (a girl) uses 'en' because 'jente' is feminine. On the other hand, 'et eple' (an apple) uses 'et' because 'eple' is neuter. There isn't a phonetic rule like in English with 'a' versus 'an'; it's purely based on the noun's gender. Learning the gender of each new noun is an essential part of learning Norwegian.

Yes, 'en' can also mean 'one' in Norwegian, serving as both an indefinite article and a numeral. When used as a numeral, it directly translates to 'one', as in 'Jeg har en bil' (I have one car). However, in many contexts, the meaning of 'one' versus 'a/an' is determined by the emphasis or the context of the sentence. For instance, if you want to explicitly state 'one' as opposed to 'two' or 'three', 'én' with an accent can be used to emphasize the numeral. Without the accent, it often functions as the indefinite article 'a' or 'an'. The pronunciation is generally the same, so context is very important for distinguishing these two meanings.

Teste-toi

fill blank

Jeg vil gjerne ha ___ eple.

Correct ! Pas tout à fait. Rponse correcte :
fill blank

Hun er ___ lærer.

Correct ! Pas tout à fait. Rponse correcte :
fill blank

De har ___ katt.

Correct ! Pas tout à fait. Rponse correcte :

Score : /3

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