Agreement in Norwegian noun phrases
This page serves for quick reference related to A Norwegian Grammar Sparrer.
For a broader exposition of the noun and noun phrase, see The Noun Phrase - Norwegian.
In the pattern:
Det(erminer) Adj(ective) N(oun)
all three items have to agree with each other with respect to gender, number and definiteness (and when only two occur, they of course need to agree). So, if one item is masculine gender, they all are:
a Det [Masc] Adj [Masc] N [Masc]
If one item is feminine gender, they all are:
b Det [Fem] Adj [Fem] N [Fem]
And if one item is neuter gender, they all are:
c Det [Neut] Adj [Neut] N [Neut]
For number it is the same thing; so if one item is singular, they all are, and likewise for plural:
d Det [Sing] Adj [Sing] N [Sing] or: e Det [Plur] Adj [Plur] N [Plur]
The third marked property is that of definiteness, and if we distinguish just between 'definite' and 'indefinite', then the same 'all-with-one' pattern obtains:
f Det [Definite] Adj [Definite] N [Definite] or: g Det [Indefinite] Adj [Indefinite] N [Indefinite]
The forms used in these patterns are not always distinct from those in other patterns, as shown below. Moreover, the words or forms carrying these types of information often carry more than one type of information at the same time, so that one phrase normally exemplifies three patterns combined. The following are examples of such combined patterns:
Masculine+Singular+Indefinite (a+d+g): en snill gutt
Feminine+Singular+Indefinite ( b+d+g): ei snill jente
Neuter+Singular+Indefinite (c+d+g): et stort hus
Masculine+Singular+Definite (a+d+f): den snille gutten
Feminine+Singular+Definite (b+d+f): den snille jenta
Neuter+Singular+Definite (c+d+f): det store huset
Masculine+Plural+Indefinite (a+e+g): noen snille gutter
Feminine+Plural+Indefinite (b+e+g): noen snille jenter
Neuter+Plural+Indefinite (c+e+g): noen store hus
Masculine+Plural+Definite (a+e+f): de snille guttene
Feminine+Plural+Definite (b+e+f): de snille jentene
Feminine+Plural+Definite (c+e+f): de store husene
Below we show the sentences with glossing showing the contribution of each part of the words:
| en |
| en |
| INDEFSGMASC |
| ART |
| snill |
| snill |
| kindINDEFSG |
| ADJ |
| gutt |
| gutt |
| boyMASC |
| N |
| ei |
| ei |
| INDEFFEMSG |
| ART |
| snill |
| snill |
| kindINDEFSG |
| ADJ |
| jente |
| jente |
| girlFEM |
| N |
| et |
| et |
| INDEFNEUTSG |
| ART |
| stort | |
| stor | t |
| large | INDEFNEUTSG |
| ADJ | |
| hus |
| hus |
| houseNEUT |
| N |
| den |
| den |
| DEFMASCSG |
| DET |
| snille | |
| snill | e |
| kind | DEF |
| ADJ | |
| gutten | |
| gutt | en |
| boyMASC | DEFMASCSG |
| N | |
| den |
| den |
| DEFFEMSG |
| DET |
| snille | |
| snill | e |
| kind | DEF |
| ADJ | |
| jenta | |
| jent | a |
| girlFEM | DEFFEMSG |
| N | |
| det |
| det |
| DEFNEUTSG |
| DET |
| store | |
| stor | e |
| large | DEF |
| ADJ | |
| huset | |
| hus | et |
| houseNEUT | DEFNEUTSG |
| N | |
| noen |
| noen |
| PLINDEF |
| QUANT |
| snille | |
| snill | e |
| kind | PL |
| ADJ | |
| gutter | |
| gutt | er |
| boyMASC | INDEFPLMASC |
| N | |
| noen |
| noen |
| somePLINDEF |
| QUANT |
| snille | |
| snill | e |
| kind | PLINDEF |
| ADJ | |
| jenter | |
| jente | r |
| girl | INDEFPL |
| N | |
| noen |
| noen |
| somePLINDEF |
| QUANT |
| store | |
| stor | e |
| PL | |
| ADJ | |
| hus |
| hus |
| NEUTPLINDEF |
| N |
| de |
| de |
| PLDEF |
| DET |
| snille | |
| snill | e |
| kind | PLDEF |
| ADJ | |
| guttene | |
| gutt | ene |
| boyMASC | PLDEF |
| N | |
| de |
| de |
| PLDEF |
| DET |
| snille | |
| snill | e |
| kind | PLDEF |
| ADJ | |
| jentene | |
| jent | ene |
| girlFEM | PLDEF |
| N | |
| de |
| de |
| PLDEF |
| DET |
| store | |
| stor | e |
| large | PLDEF |
| ADJ | |
| husene | |
| hus | ene |
| houseNEUT | PLDEF |
| N | |
We now comment on the forms that can fill the slots exemplified:
Determiners
Determiners as a category comprise articles, demonstrative pronouns and quantifiers. Some of these items are listed below, in the required forms relative to the specification of the noun:
Occurring with a masculine noun
when ‘indefinite singular’: en (article), noen (quantifier, countable), noe (quantifier, non-countable), hver (univ. quantifier), all (quantifier, non-countable)
when ‘indefinite plural’: noen (quantifier), alle (univ.quantifier), ), begge (univ. quantifier for two), disse (demonstrative)
when ‘definite singular’ : den (article or demonstrative), all (quantifier, non-countable), denne (demonstrative)
when ‘definite plural’.: de (article or demonstrative), alle (univ.quantifier), begge (univ. quantifier for two), disse (demonstrative)
Occurring with a feminine noun
– same as for masculine, except for using indefinite singular ei rather then en.
Occurring with a neuter noun
when ‘indefinite singular’: et (article), noe (quantifier, countable), noe (quantifier, non-countable), hvert (univ. quantifier), alt (quantifier, non-countable)
when ‘indefinite plural’: noen (quantifier), alle (univ.quantifier), ), begge (univ. quantifier for two), disse (demonstrative)
when ‘definite singular’ : det (article or demonstrative), alt (quantifier, non-countable), dette (demonstrative)
when ‘definite plural’.: de (article or demonstrative), alle (univ.quantifier), begge (univ. quantifier for two), disse (demonstrative)
The constellations where a (definite) article or demonstrative occurs together with a definite form of the noun (singular or plural) is generally referred to as ‘double definiteness’. Since these manifestations of 'definiteness' can in principle occur independently of each other, we need to distinguish between noun-definiteness and det-definiteness, the former residing in the definite noun suffix, the latter in a definite article, a demonstrative or - to be seen below - a genitive.
Adjectives
When an adjective occurs in the ‘definite’ pattern, it has a so-called weak form, ending in –e.
In the strong form, i.e., when occurring in the indefinite pattern, the adjective has the following inflections:
with a masculine singular noun: -Ø
with a feminine singular noun: -Ø
with a neuter singular noun: -t
with a plural noun, any gender: -e
(As may be be noted, weak form and strong plural form are identical.)
Adjectives ending in -a generally have -Ø in all forms.