Grammar
Norwegian adjectives: agreement, definite form and comparison
By the SnakkTrygt team · Updated
Norwegian adjectives have only a few forms: the basic one (stor), a -t form for neuter nouns (et stort hus) and an -e form for plurals and the definite (store biler, den store bilen). Unlike English, they agree with the noun, but they sit in the same place: before it. Below are the rules, the most common irregular adjectives and how comparison works.
How do Norwegian adjectives agree with nouns?
An adjective agrees with the gender and number of its noun: the basic form for masculine and feminine, -t for neuter and -e for plural. The ending is the same whether the adjective comes before the noun or after er (“is”). If genders still feel shaky, start with Norwegian nouns, gender and articles.
| Before the noun | After “er” | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | en stor bil | Bilen er stor. |
| Feminine | ei/en stor dør | Døra er stor. |
| Neuter | et stort hus | Huset er stort. |
| Plural | store biler | Bilene er store. |
Feminine nouns can be written with ei and -a (ei dør, døra) or with en and -en (en dør, døren): both are correct bokmål. The adjective stays the same either way.
Tip: English never adds endings to adjectives, so the -t in et stort hus is easy to forget. Learn every new noun with its article and you will know when the -t is needed.
When do you not add -t or -e?
Some adjectives take no -t in the neuter and a few never change at all. The exceptions follow clear patterns:
- Ending in -ig: et viktig møte (an important meeting), no -t.
- Ending in -isk, and nationalities in -sk: et praktisk råd, et norsk ord.
- Already ending in -t: et svart hus, et lett språk.
- Ending in a stressed vowel: double t, ny → nytt, blå → blått, fri → fritt.
- Ending in a double consonant: simplify it, grønn → et grønt eple.
- Invariable: adjectives ending in -e (moderne, stille) and bra: et bra forslag, bra folk.
What is double definiteness (den store bilen)?
When a definite noun has an adjective, Norwegian marks “the” twice: with den/det/de in front and with the noun’s ending (den store bilen, “the big car”). In this form the adjective always takes -e, whatever the gender.
| Gender | No adjective | With adjective |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | bilen | den store bilen |
| Feminine | døra / døren | den store døra / døren |
| Neuter | huset | det store huset |
| Plural | bilene | de store bilene |
After a possessive or denne/dette/disse (“this/these”) the adjective takes -e as well: min nye jobb (“my new job”), dette gamle huset (“this old house”).
Den nye kollegaen er fra England.
The new colleague is from England.
Vi bor i det gule huset.
We live in the yellow house.
De små barna sover.
The little children are asleep.
Which Norwegian adjectives are irregular?
The key irregular adjectives are liten (“small”), annen (“other”) and those ending in -el, -en and -er, which drop a vowel before -e. They come up every day, so they are worth memorising.
| Basic | Neuter | Plural / definite |
|---|---|---|
| liten (fem. lita) | lite | små / lille (def. sing.) |
| annen | annet | andre |
| gammel | gammelt | gamle |
| sulten | sultent | sultne |
| vakker | vakkert | vakre |
| egen | eget | egne |
en liten gutt, ei lita jente, et lite barn
a little boy, a little girl, a little child
den lille gutten, de små barna
the little boy, the little children
Definite singular: lille; plural: små.
Har du en annen størrelse?
Do you have another size?
How do comparatives and superlatives work in Norwegian?
The general rule mirrors English -er/-est: add -ere for the comparative and -est for the superlative, as in fin – finere – finest. Adjectives in -ig add just -st: billig – billigere – billigst. “Than” is enn: Oslo er større enn Bergen.
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| stor (big) | større | størst |
| god / bra (good) | bedre | best |
| liten (small) | mindre | minst |
| gammel (old) | eldre | eldst |
| ung (young) | yngre | yngst |
| lang (long) | lengre | lengst |
| dårlig (bad) | verre / dårligere | verst / dårligst |
Long adjectives, especially those in -isk and many loanwords, use mer and mest, just like “more” and “most”: mer praktisk, mest interessant. The comparative never changes, but a superlative after den/det/de takes -e: den største byen, det beste valget.
Denne jakka er billigere enn den andre.
This jacket is cheaper than the other one.
Det er den beste løsningen.
That is the best solution.
Norsk er mer logisk enn jeg trodde.
Norwegian is more logical than I thought.
Frequently asked questions
Do Norwegian adjectives go before or after the noun?
Before, as in English: en stor bil (a big car). After the verb er they stand alone: bilen er stor.
Why do you say “den store bilen” with two articles?
That is double definiteness: with an adjective, Norwegian marks the definite both with den/det/de in front and with the noun ending -en/-et/-ene.
How do you say “better” in Norwegian?
Bedre. “Best” is best, and with an article it becomes den beste or det beste.