As we learned in the previous lesson, in Norwegian adjectives agree with the number and gender of the noun and that the plural form is the same across all genders. However, there are many irregular adjectives, which we’ll go over a few today. We’ll also go over comparatives and superlatives.
The following adjectives do not take a -t in the neuter form, but are otherwise normal.
1. Adjectives ending in -(l)ig:
| Norwegian | English | Norwegian Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lykkelig | Happy | Et lykkelig minne | A happy memory |
| Lykkelige minner | Happy memories | ||
| Heldig | Lucky | Et heldig barn | A lucky child |
| Det heldige barnet | The lucky child | ||
| Vanskelig | Difficult | Et vanskelig språk | A difficult language |
| Det vanskelige språket | The difficult language | ||
| Vennlig | Friendly | Et vennlig smil | A friendly smile |
| Det vennlige smilet | The friendly smile |
2. Some adjectives that already end in -t (especially loan words, superlatives, and participles).
| Norwegian | English | Norwegian Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Svart / Sort | Black | Et svart skjørt | A black skirt |
| Det svarte skjørtet | The black skirt | ||
| Lat | Lazy | Et lat individ | A lazy individual |
| Det late individet | The lazy individual | ||
| Interessant | Interesting | Et interessant dyr | An interesting animal |
| Det interessante dyr | The interesting animal | ||
| Kort | Short | Et kort ben | A short leg |
| Mitt korte ben | My short leg |
3. Adjectives ending in -sk which denote nationality or that are polysyllabic.
| Norwegian | English | Norwegian Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norsk | Norwegian | Et norsk frimerke | A Norwegian stamp |
| Det norske frimerket | The Norwegian stamp | ||
| Historisk | Historical | Et historisk bilde | A historical picture |
| Det historiske bildet | The historical picture | ||
| Praktisk | Practical | Et praktisk skip | A practical ship |
| Det praktiske skipet | The practical ship | ||
| Rebelsk | Rebellious | Et rebelsk barn | A rebellious child |
| De rebelske barna | The rebellious children |
NOTE: Adjectives ending in -sk that are monosyllabic, decline regularly.
Ex:
Et ferskt brød – A fresh loaf
4. Some adjectives ending in -d.
| Norwegian | English | Norwegian Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid | Solid | Et solid hus | A solid house |
| Det solide huset | The solid house | ||
| Absurd | Absurd | Et absurd svar | An absurd answer |
| Det absurde svaret | The absurd answer | ||
| Fremmed | Foreign | Et fremmed konsept | A foreign concept |
| Det fremmede konseptet | The foreign concept |
NOTE: Most adjectives ending in -d do take the -t in the neuter form.
Ex:
Et rødt hus – A red house
Comparatives and Superlatives
We use the comparative form of adjectives when we are, obviously, comparing two or more things, or when comparing one thing with itself at different times.
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| Katter er bedre enn hunder. | Cats are better than dogs. |
| Det er mer(e) overskyet i dag. | It is more overcast today. (compared to yesterday) |
The most common way of comparing things is by adding -ere and -est(e) to the end of the adjective. Note that the -est(e) ending is called the “superlative.”
| Base Adjective | Comparative | Superlative | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fin | Finere | Finest(e) | Nice |
| Kald | Kaldere | Kaldest(e) | Cold |
| Varm | Varmere | Varmest(e) | Hot |
Let’s look at some examples sentences.
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| Vinteren er kald i Fjordvik. | The winter is cold in Fjordvik. |
| Vinteren er kaldere i Fjordvik enn i Paris. | The winter is colder in Fjordvik than in Paris. |
| Vinteren er kaldest i Sibir. | The winter is coldest in Siberia. |
The -ere ending in the comparative does not decline based on definite or indefinite. However, the -est ending (for superlative) does decline in the definite form (i.e. it gets an -e sst the end), just like a regular adjective declines in the definite form.
| x | Base Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eksempel 1 | Den høye mannen. | Den høyere mannen. | Den høyeste mannen. |
| The tall man | The taller man | The tallest man | |
| Eksempel 2 | Det korte barnet. | Det kortere barnet. | Det korteste barnet. |
| The short child. | The shorter child. | The shortest child. | |
| Eksempel 3 | Den myke pelsen. | Den mykere pelsen. | Den mykeste pelsen. |
| The soft fur. | The softer fur. | The softest fur. |
When the superlative form comes after verbs like å være, the indefinite or the definite form of the superlative can be used.
| Norwegian | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Indefinite | Alex er yngst i familien. | Alex is the youngest in the family. |
| Definite | Alex er den yngste i familien. | Alex is the youngest in the family. |
Exceptions and Irregulars:
Most adjectives ending in -(l)ig and -som only take an -st ending (instead of -est) in the superlative form.
| Base Adjective | Comparative | Superlative | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billig | Billigere | Billigst(e) | Cheap |
| Hyggelig | Hyggeligere | Hyggeligst(e) | Nice / Pleasant |
| Morsom | Morsommere | Morsomst(e) | Funny |
Let’s look at a couple of example sentences.
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| Denne bilen er billigere enn den bilen. | This car is cheaper than that car. |
| Den blå bilen er den billigste bilen. | The blue car is the cheapest car. |
In adjectives ending in -el, -en, and -er, the -e- in the stem of the adjective disappears in the comparative and superlative form. If there is a double consonant in the middle, it becomes a single consonant in the comparative / superlative forms.
| Base Adjective | Comparative | Superlative | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | Travlere | Travlest(e) | Busy |
| Moden | Modnere | Modnest(e) | Ripe |
| Vakker | Vakrere | Vakrest(e) | Pretty |
Many adjectives ending in -sk; adjectives ending in -e; and some loan words are compared with mer and mest.
| Base Adjective | Comparative | Superlative | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Praktisk | Mer praktisk | Mest praktisk(e) | Practical |
| Moderne | Mer moderne | Mest moderne | Modern |
| Absurd | Mer absurd | Mest absurde | Absurd |
NOTE: Adjectives in the superlative form (using “mest”) takes an -e ending in the definitive form.
| Norwegian | English |
|---|---|
| Dette er en mer praktisk løsning. | This is a more practical solution. |
| Det er den mest praktiske løsningen. | It is the most practical solution. |
Some adjectives change vowels in the comparative and superlative forms.
| Base Adjective | Comparative | Superlative | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Få | Færre | Færrest(e) | Few |
| Lang | Lengre | Lengst(e) | Long |
| Stor | Større | Størst(e) | Big |
| Tung | Tyngre | Tyngst(e) | Heavy |
| Ung | Yngre | Yngst(e) | Young |
Some adjectives change completely in the comparative and superlative forms.
| Base Adjective | Comparative | Superlative | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gammel | Eldre | Eldst(e) | Old |
| God | Bedre | Best(e) | Good |
| Mange | Fler(e) | Flest(e) | Many |
| Mye | Mer | Mest(e) | Much |
| Liten / Lita / Lite / Små | Mindre | Minst(e) | Small |
NOTE : “Flere” and “flest” are used with countable nouns, whereas “mer” and “mest” are used with uncountable nouns.
| Norwegian | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Countables | Vi kjøpte flere bøker. | We bought more books. |
| Isabella eier flest bøker. | Isabella owns the most books. | |
| Uncountables | Vil du ha mer vann? | Would you like more water? |
| Jakob drakk mest øl på festen. | Jakob drank the most beer at the party. |
Resources:
- Norwegian: An Essential Grammar (pg 75-77)</
- Learn Norwegian Adjectives for Comparisons</
- Comparisons of Adjectives w Karin (YouTube)</
- Comparing Adjectives in Norwegian</
- Norwegian on the Web: Adjective Comparisons exercise</
- Norwegian Adjective Comparison game</
Exercise 1: Fill in the blank with comparatives/superlatives.
Ringen min var ________ (dyr) enn hennes.
Det ____ (liten) barnet var faktisk ______ (gammel).
Den _____ (nyttig) tingen jeg eier er telefonen min.
Lukas følte seg _____ (trygg) inne enn ute.
Maja er _____ (ung) enn Nora men Nora er _____ (tung).
Arabisk er _____ (vanskelig) enn norsk.
Foten hennes er ____ (bred) enn bommen (balance beam).
Mathias er _____ (høy) enn Jakob men _____ (kort) enn Emil, hvem er den _____ (høy)?
Exercise 2: Write 5 sentences using comparatives / superlatives.