A1 Collocation محايد

Tjene penger.

Earn money.

Phrase in 30 Seconds

This is the standard way to say 'to earn money' through work or business in Norwegian.

  • Means: To receive money in exchange for labor or services.
  • Used in: Job interviews, daily conversations about work, and financial planning.
  • Don't confuse: Never use 'lage penger' (make money) unless you are printing it illegally.
💼 (Work) + 🛠️ (Effort) = 💰 (Tjene penger)

Explanation at your level:

At this level, you just need to know that 'tjene penger' means 'to get money from work'. You use it to talk about your job. For example: 'Jeg jobber. Jeg tjener penger.' It is a basic phrase for survival and daily life.
You can now use the phrase in different tenses. You can say 'Jeg tjente penger i går' or 'Jeg skal tjene penger i sommer'. You also start using prepositions like 'på' to explain how you earn the money, such as 'Jeg tjener penger på å male'.
At the intermediate level, you use 'tjene penger' to discuss career goals and economic situations. You might talk about the difficulty of earning enough money in expensive cities or compare salaries between different professions using more complex sentence structures.
You can use the phrase in business and abstract contexts. You might discuss whether a company's primary goal should be to 'tjene penger' or to be socially responsible. You understand the nuance between 'bruttoinntekt' and what you actually 'tjener' after taxes.
You use the phrase within sophisticated economic analyses. You can discuss the ethics of 'å tjene penger på andres nød' (earning money from others' distress) and use the verb 'tjene' in its more abstract senses, such as 'å tjene en sak' (to serve a cause).
You have a near-native grasp of the phrase's historical weight and its role in Norwegian idioms. You can navigate the subtle sociolinguistic boundaries of discussing income in Norway, using the phrase to critique or uphold complex socio-economic structures with precision.

المعنى

Working for income.

🌍

خلفية ثقافية

Tax records are public. You can see what everyone 'tjente' last year on the 'skattelister'. This promotes equality but is also a source of gossip. The concept of 'Janteloven' means you shouldn't brag about how much you 'tjener'. It's better to be modest about your income. Norwegians value work-life balance. 'Tjene penger' is important, but having 'fritid' (free time) is often seen as more valuable than a massive salary. Many Norwegian teens 'tjener penger' by having a 'deltidsjobb' (part-time job) alongside school to pay for their 'russetid' (graduation celebrations).

⚠️

The 'Lage' Trap

Never say 'lage penger'. It's the #1 mistake for English speakers and sounds very funny to Norwegians.

🎯

Preposition Power

Use 'tjene penger PÅ' for the activity and 'tjene penger TIL' for the goal.

المعنى

Working for income.

⚠️

The 'Lage' Trap

Never say 'lage penger'. It's the #1 mistake for English speakers and sounds very funny to Norwegians.

🎯

Preposition Power

Use 'tjene penger PÅ' for the activity and 'tjene penger TIL' for the goal.

💬

Salary Talk

It's okay to talk about 'tjene penger' in general, but avoid asking 'Hvor mye tjener du?' too early in a friendship.

اختبر نفسك

Fill in the correct form of 'å tjene'.

I fjor ______ han veldig mye penger.

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: tjente

The sentence refers to 'I fjor' (last year), so we need the preteritum form 'tjente'.

Which sentence is correct?

How do you say 'I make money' in Norwegian?

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: Jeg tjener penger.

'Tjene' is the correct verb for earning money through work.

Complete the dialogue.

A: Hvorfor jobber du så mye? B: Jeg må ______ ______ til en ny bil.

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: tjene penger

The context of working implies earning money.

Match the verb to the situation.

1. Jobbing 2. Lotto 3. På gata

✓ صحيح! ✗ ليس تمامًا. الإجابة الصحيحة: A. Tjene, B. Vinne, C. Finne

You earn (tjene) at work, win (vinne) the lottery, and find (finne) money on the street.

🎉 النتيجة: /4

وسائل تعلم بصرية

Tjene vs. Vinne vs. Finne

Tjene
Jobb Work
Vinne
Lotto Lottery
Finne
Gata The street

الأسئلة الشائعة

10 أسئلة

Yes! You can 'tjene poeng' (earn points) or 'tjene en sak' (serve a cause).

It is neutral. You can use it with your boss or your best friend.

'Lønn' is the noun (salary), 'tjene' is the verb (to earn).

You say 'Jeg tjener til livets opphold'.

Yes, this is very common modern Norwegian.

It is a weak verb (Group 2).

It's slang for earning a lot of money, similar to 'earning big' in English.

No, for games you must use 'vinne'.

Yes, 'penger' is a plural noun in Norwegian.

It means 'it pays off' or 'it is worth it', related to the same root as 'lønn'.

عبارات ذات صلة

🔗

å tjene fett

specialized form

To earn a lot of money

🔗

å gå i overskudd

similar

To make a profit

🔗

å lønne seg

builds on

To be worth it / to pay off

🔗

å spare penger

contrast

To save money

🔗

å kaste bort penger

contrast

To waste money

أين تستخدمها

🤝

Job Interview

Interviewer: Hvor mye forventer du å tjene?

Candidate: Jeg håper å tjene en rettferdig lønn basert på min erfaring.

formal
☕

Talking to Friends

Per: Hvorfor jobber du så mye?

Lise: Jeg må tjene penger til den nye iPhonen!

informal
📊

Business Meeting

Manager: Tjener vi penger på dette prosjektet?

Analyst: Ja, vi tjener penger nå, men marginene er små.

formal
🧒

Parent and Child

Barn: Kan jeg få en is?

Mamma: Du må tjene penger selv hvis du vil ha is hver dag. Kanskje du kan vaske bilen?

informal
🏦

At the Bank

Bankansatt: Hvor mye tjener du i året?

Kunde: Jeg tjener fem hundre tusen kroner.

formal
🎨

Discussing Hobbies

A: Du er så flink til å strikke!

B: Takk! Jeg har faktisk begynt å tjene litt penger på det.

neutral

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of a 'Genie' (Tjene) who gives you gold (Penger), but in Norway, you have to work for the Genie!

Visual Association

Imagine a person in a suit (Work) holding a silver serving tray (Tjene/Serve), but instead of food, the tray is piled high with Norwegian Kroner bills.

Rhyme

Vil du ha penger i dine hender? Da må du jobbe og tjene, min venn!

Story

Lars wanted a new bike. He didn't win the lottery, and he didn't find a treasure chest. Instead, he got a job at the grocery store. Every Saturday, he worked hard. Now, he can say: 'Jeg tjener penger til sykkelen min!'

Word Web

lønnarbeidinntektskattjobbbutikkprofittøkonomi

تحدٍّ

Go through your day and identify three things you do that could 'tjene penger'. Say them out loud in Norwegian: 'Jeg kan tjene penger på å...'

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Ganar dinero

Norwegian distinguishes between labor and luck; Spanish uses one word.

French high

Gagner de l'argent

French uses a partitive article (de l'), Norwegian uses indefinite plural.

German high

Geld verdienen

The etymological focus: service (NO) vs. merit (DE).

Japanese moderate

お金を稼ぐ (Okane o kasegu)

Japanese has different verbs for 'making a profit' (moukeru) vs 'earning a wage' (kasegu).

Arabic moderate

كسب المال (Kasaba al-mal)

Arabic often uses 'gain' (kasaba) where Norwegian uses 'serve' (tjene).

Chinese moderate

赚钱 (Zhuan qián)

The Chinese character 'zhuan' is more business-oriented than the Norwegian 'tjene'.

Korean high

돈을 벌다 (Don-eul beolda)

Korean requires the object marker 'eul', Norwegian does not use markers.

Portuguese high

Ganhar dinheiro

Norwegian 'tjene' is never used for games of chance.

Easily Confused

Tjene penger. مقابل å lage penger

English speakers translate 'make money' literally.

Remember: 'Lage' is for pizza or crafts. 'Tjene' is for work.

Tjene penger. مقابل å vinne penger

Romance language speakers use 'win' for 'earn'.

If you worked for it, use 'tjene'. If you were lucky, use 'vinne'.

الأسئلة الشائعة (10)

Yes! You can 'tjene poeng' (earn points) or 'tjene en sak' (serve a cause).

It is neutral. You can use it with your boss or your best friend.

'Lønn' is the noun (salary), 'tjene' is the verb (to earn).

You say 'Jeg tjener til livets opphold'.

Yes, this is very common modern Norwegian.

It is a weak verb (Group 2).

It's slang for earning a lot of money, similar to 'earning big' in English.

No, for games you must use 'vinne'.

Yes, 'penger' is a plural noun in Norwegian.

It means 'it pays off' or 'it is worth it', related to the same root as 'lønn'.

هل كان هذا مفيداً؟

التعليقات (0)

تسجيل الدخول للتعليق
لا توجد تعليقات بعد. كن أول من يشارك أفكاره!