A1 Norwegian GrammarPlural Nouns
Learn how to form plural nouns in Norwegian. Most nouns add '-er' or '-r' for indefinite plural, and '-ene' or '-a' for definite plural. Understand the patterns based on gender and syllable structure, and memorize common irregular plurals.
1Masculine and Feminine Plurals
Most masculine and feminine nouns form the plural by adding '-er' (indefinite) and '-ene' (definite). One-syllable nouns often just add '-er'. Two-syllable nouns ending in '-e' drop the '-e' before adding '-er'. The definite plural always ends in '-ene'.
Regular Masculine/Feminine Plurals
| Singular | Plural Indef. | Plural Def. | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| en bil | biler | bilene | car(s) |
| en gutt | gutter | guttene | boy(s) |
| ei jente | jenter | jentene | girl(s) |
| en time | timer | timene | hour(s) |
Examples
Jeg har to biler.
I have two cars.
bil → biler
Guttene spiller fotball.
The boys play football.
definite plural -ene
Tre jenter sitter der.
Three girls sit there.
jente → jenter
Kurset varer fire timer.
The course lasts four hours.
time → timer
2Neuter Plurals
Neuter nouns follow different patterns. One-syllable neuter nouns often stay the same in indefinite plural (no ending). Multi-syllable neuter nouns add '-er'. The definite plural for neuter nouns ends in '-a' or '-ene'. This is a key difference from masculine/feminine.
Neuter Noun Plurals
| Singular | Plural Indef. | Plural Def. | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| et hus | hus | husene/husa | house(s) |
| et barn | barn | barna | child(ren) |
| et bord | bord | bordene/borda | table(s) |
| et eple | epler | eplene | apple(s) |
Examples
Det er mange hus her.
There are many houses here.
hus stays same in plural
Barna leker ute.
The children play outside.
barn → barna (def)
Vi har fem bord.
We have five tables.
bord stays same
Eplene er røde.
The apples are red.
eple → epler → eplene
3Irregular Plurals
Some common Norwegian nouns have irregular plural forms that must be memorized. These often involve vowel changes (umlaut) or unexpected endings. Many of these are everyday words like 'man', 'foot', 'tooth', 'book', and 'brother'.
Common Irregular Plurals
| Singular | Plural | Definite Pl. | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| en mann | menn | mennene | man/men |
| en fot | føtter | føttene | foot/feet |
| ei tann | tenner | tennene | tooth/teeth |
| ei bok | bøker | bøkene | book(s) |
Examples
Tre menn sitter i parken.
Three men sit in the park.
mann → menn (vowel change)
Føttene mine er kalde.
My feet are cold.
fot → føtter (umlaut)
Hun har mange bøker.
She has many books.
bok → bøker
Brødrene mine bor i Oslo.
My brothers live in Oslo.
bror → brødre
4Plural with Numbers and Adjectives
When using numbers with nouns, use the indefinite plural form. Adjectives in the plural always add '-e' regardless of gender. In definite plural with adjectives, use 'de' + adjective with '-e' + noun in definite plural form.
Adjective Agreement in Plural
| Construction | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| number + adj + noun | to store biler | two big cars |
| de + adj-e + noun-def | de store bilene | the big cars |
| mange + adj + noun | mange fine hus | many nice houses |
| alle + adj + noun-def | alle små barna | all the small children |
Examples
Vi har fire nye stoler.
We have four new chairs.
nye (plural adj form)
De gamle husene står der.
The old houses stand there.
de + gamle + husene
Mange unge mennesker bor her.
Many young people live here.
unge (plural -e ending)
Alle barna er glade.
All the children are happy.
glade (plural predicate)