When we talk about 'jevne', we're often looking at making things consistent, even, or equal. Think about smoothing out a surface until it's flat. Or, if you're mixing ingredients, you 'jevne' them until they are uniformly combined. It also applies to abstract concepts: you might 'jevne ut' differences between people or opinions to find common ground. This verb emphasizes creating a state of uniformity or balance.
How Formal Is It?
"Regjeringen arbeider for å utjevne sosiale forskjeller. (The government is working to equalize social differences.)"
"Du må jevne ut deigen før du steker den. (You need to smooth out the dough before you bake it.)"
"Kan du jevne til det gulvet litt? (Can you just smooth that floor a bit?)"
"Kan du hjelpe meg å gjøre denne sanden flat? (Can you help me make this sand flat?)"
"Jeg skal fikse biffen så det blir jevnt. (I'll fix the beef so it's even. - *Figurative for 'make things even/sorted out'*)"
Practice in Real Life
Real-World Contexts
Cooking/Baking
- Jevne ut sausen.
- Jevne overflaten på kaken.
Construction/DIY
- Jevne ut betongen.
- Jevne gulvet før legging av parkett.
General Smoothing
- Jevne ut rynker i et plagg.
- Jevne ut jorden i hagen.
Figurative: Making things fair/equal
- Jevne ut forskjellene.
- Jevne ut regnskapet.
Sports: Evening the score
- Jevne ut kampen.
Conversation Starters
"Har du noen gang måttet jevne ut noe i hagen din? (Have you ever had to smooth something out in your garden?)"
"Når du baker, hvilke ting må du ofte jevne ut? (When you bake, what things do you often have to smooth out?)"
"I en diskusjon, hva betyr det å 'jevne ut forskjellene'? (In a discussion, what does it mean to 'smooth out the differences'?)"
"Hvis du skulle bygge noe, hvor ville du måtte jevne ut en overflate? (If you were to build something, where would you have to smooth out a surface?)"
"Hva er et eksempel på når en kamp blir 'jevnet ut'? (What is an example of when a game gets 'evened out' (made level)?)"
Journal Prompts
Beskriv en gang du måtte jevne ut noe fysisk. Hva var det, og hvordan gjorde du det? (Describe a time you had to physically smooth something out. What was it, and how did you do it?)
Tenk på en situasjon hvor det var ulikheter. Hvordan kunne man 'jevne ut forskjellene' i den situasjonen? (Think of a situation where there were inequalities. How could one 'smooth out the differences' in that situation?)
Hva betyr det å 'jevne ut regnskapet' i din personlige økonomi eller i en gruppe? Gi et eksempel. (What does it mean to 'even out the accounts' in your personal finances or in a group? Give an example.)
Forestille deg at du er en kokk. Hvilke retter ville kreve at du 'jevner ut' noe, og hvorfor? (Imagine you are a chef. What dishes would require you to 'smooth out' something, and why?)
Hvordan kan 'jevne' brukes for å beskrive balanse eller likhet i en sosial kontekst? (How can 'jevne' be used to describe balance or equality in a social context?)
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsYou pronounce 'jevne' roughly like 'YEV-nuh'. The 'j' is like the 'y' in 'yes', and the 'e's are like the 'e' in 'bed'.
The core meaning of 'jevne' is to smooth out or to make something equal. Think about making a surface flat or bringing things to the same level.
Yes, absolutely. You can jevne out a road (physical) or jevne out differences between people (abstract).
You could say: 'Han prøvde å jevne ut sanden.' (He tried to smooth out the sand.)
A common phrase is 'å jevne ut forskjellene' which means to even out the differences.
It can mean both. It depends on the context. 'Å jevne ut et gulv' would imply making it completely flat, while 'å jevne ut stemmene' (to even out the votes) might just mean making them closer.
Yes, 'jevning' is a noun related to 'jevne'. It can refer to a thickening agent in cooking or the act of smoothing/evening out.
The past tense of 'jevne' is 'jevnet'. For example, 'De jevnet ut veien.' (They smoothed out the road.)
Not commonly in the same way as some other verbs. You'd typically use 'jevne' with a direct object that is being smoothed or made equal.
When talking about making something physically flat, 'glatte ut' (to smooth out, to iron out) is a good synonym.
Test Yourself 36 questions
He will smooth out the soil.
Can you smooth the dough?
She wants to even out the differences.
Read this aloud:
Jeg vil jevne ut dette.
Focus: jevne ut
You said:
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Read this aloud:
Kan du jevne sanden?
Focus: jevne sanden
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
De må jevne gulvet.
Focus: jevne gulvet
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Write a short sentence using a form of 'jevne' to talk about making something smooth or even. Think about something simple, like a bed sheet.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Jeg skal jevne ut lakenet. (I will smooth out the sheet.)
Imagine you are helping a friend arrange things. Write a sentence telling them to 'even out' two items so they are the same height.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Kan du jevne ut bøkene? (Can you even out the books?)
Think about something that needs to be made equal or uniform, like mixing ingredients in a bowl. Write a sentence using 'jevne' in this context.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Jeg må jevne røren. (I need to even out the batter.)
Hva betyr 'jevne ut fargen' i denne setningen?
Read this passage:
Etter at vi har malt veggen, må vi jevne ut fargen. Det betyr at alle delene av veggen skal se like ut. Det er viktig for et godt resultat.
Hva betyr 'jevne ut fargen' i denne setningen?
To 'jevne ut fargen' means to make the color look uniform or even across the whole surface.
To 'jevne ut fargen' means to make the color look uniform or even across the whole surface.
Hva er målet når man 'jevner ut sine resultater'?
Read this passage:
Læreren sa: 'Alle må jevne ut sine resultater.' Dette betyr at ingen skal ha mye bedre eller mye dårligere resultater enn de andre. Alle skal være på et lignende nivå.
Hva er målet når man 'jevner ut sine resultater'?
To 'jevne ut sine resultater' means to make everyone's results roughly the same level, to create equality.
To 'jevne ut sine resultater' means to make everyone's results roughly the same level, to create equality.
Hvorfor rørte kokken lenge for å 'jevne sausen'?
Read this passage:
Kokken skulle jevne sausen. Han rørte lenge for å få vekk alle klumper. Han ville at sausen skulle være glatt og fin.
Hvorfor rørte kokken lenge for å 'jevne sausen'?
To 'jevne sausen' in this context means to smooth it out by removing lumps, making it uniform.
To 'jevne sausen' in this context means to smooth it out by removing lumps, making it uniform.
Imagine you're baking. Write a short sentence about what you might do to the surface of a cake before frosting it, using 'jevne'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Jeg må jevne overflaten av kaken før jeg har på glasuren. (I must smooth the surface of the cake before I put on the frosting.)
You are helping a friend move. Write a sentence telling them to make the boxes even in weight so they are easier to carry, using 'jevne'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Vi må jevne ut vekten i eskene slik at de er lettere å bære. (We must even out the weight in the boxes so they are easier to carry.)
Describe a situation where you might need to 'jevne' differences between two people or groups, perhaps in an argument or negotiation.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
For å oppnå en god avtale, må vi jevne ut forskjellene mellom partene. (To achieve a good agreement, we must smooth out the differences between the parties.)
Hvorfor måtte de 'jevne ut snøen' ifølge teksten?
Read this passage:
Etter at snøen hadde falt, lå landskapet hvitt og ujevnt. Før vi kunne gå på ski, måtte noen jevne ut snøen slik at løypene ble flate og trygge. Dette arbeidet tar ofte lang tid, men det er nødvendig for å skape de beste forholdene for skigåing.
Hvorfor måtte de 'jevne ut snøen' ifølge teksten?
Teksten sier at de måtte jevne ut snøen 'slik at løypene ble flate og trygge'.
Teksten sier at de måtte jevne ut snøen 'slik at løypene ble flate og trygge'.
Hva mente læreren med å 'jevne ut sine resultater'?
Read this passage:
Læreren ba elevene om å jevne ut sine resultater over semesteret. Dette betydde at de ikke bare skulle ha noen gode prøver, men også vise en jevn innsats og forbedring gjennom hele perioden. Målet var at alle skulle føle seg mestret, uansett startpunkt.
Hva mente læreren med å 'jevne ut sine resultater'?
Teksten forklarer at å jevne ut resultatene betydde å 'vise en jevn innsats og forbedring gjennom hele perioden'.
Teksten forklarer at å jevne ut resultatene betydde å 'vise en jevn innsats og forbedring gjennom hele perioden'.
Hva var viktig med å 'jevne ut røren' i formen?
Read this passage:
Kokken brukte en slikkepott for å jevne ut røren i formen. Det var viktig at røren var helt jevn før den ble satt i ovnen, ellers ville kaken ikke steke ordentlig. En jevn overflate sikrer at varmen fordeles likt.
Hva var viktig med å 'jevne ut røren' i formen?
Teksten sier at det var viktig 'ellers ville kaken ikke steke ordentlig. En jevn overflate sikrer at varmen fordeles likt.'
Teksten sier at det var viktig 'ellers ville kaken ikke steke ordentlig. En jevn overflate sikrer at varmen fordeles likt.'
This sentence means 'We must smooth out the floor.' The verb 'jevne ut' often goes together.
This sentence means 'It is important to make the differences equal.' 'Jevne' is used here without 'ut' when referring to making things equal.
This sentence means 'He tried to smooth the surface before he painted.' 'Jevne' here refers to making a surface smooth.
Listen for 'jevne ut' in the context of differences between regions.
Pay attention to 'jevne ut' and what it applies to.
What is being 'smoothed out' or 'made equal'?
Read this aloud:
Kan du jevne ut puten for meg?
Focus: jevne ut
You said:
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Read this aloud:
Hvordan kan vi jevne ut arbeidsbelastningen?
Focus: arbeidsbelastningen
You said:
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Read this aloud:
De måtte jevne ut terrenget før de kunne bygge.
Focus: terrenget
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
This sentence emphasizes the importance of leveling out disparities between regions.
This sentence illustrates the need to smooth out misunderstandings after a discussion.
This sentence describes the action of smoothing a surface with a spatula before painting.
/ 36 correct
Perfect score!
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