Lesson goal
In this lesson, you will get acquainted with the basic personal pronouns in Norwegian used as the subject. You will learn to build very simple phrases about yourself, another person, and a group of people.
New vocabulary
jeg — I
du — you
han — he
hun — she
vi — we
dere — you
de — they
heter — am called, is called
kommer fra — am from, come from
er — am, is, are
bor — live, lives
lærer — learn, study
norsk — Norwegian
lærer — teacher
Norge — Norway
Oslo — Oslo
Useful phrases
Jeg heter Anna. — My name is Anna.
Du er lærer. — You are a teacher.
Han kommer fra Norge. — He is from Norway.
Hun bor i Oslo. — She lives in Oslo.
Vi lærer norsk. — We learn Norwegian.
Jeg kommer fra Russland. — I am from Russia.
Du bor i Oslo. — You live in Oslo.
Han heter Erik. — His name is Erik.
Hun er lærer. — She is a teacher.
De lærer norsk. — They learn Norwegian.
Grammar
This lesson uses personal pronouns in the subject form, that is, words that name the one who performs the action. The basic forms are: «jeg», «du», «han», «hun», «vi», «dere», «de». They are placed before the verb: «Jeg heter ...», «Hun bor ...», «Vi lærer ...». At the beginner stage, it is important to memorize these forms as the main ones for simple statements. The pronoun «du» is used for one interlocutor, «dere» for several. The pronoun «de» means «they». In a simple Norwegian sentence, the subject usually comes first, followed by the verb.
Examples
Jeg heter Maria. — My name is Maria.
Jeg kommer fra Russland. — I am from Russia.
Du heter Ole. — Your name is Ole.
Du bor i Norge. — You live in Norway.
Han er lærer. — He is a teacher.
Han bor i Oslo. — He lives in Oslo.
Hun heter Anna. — Her name is Anna.
Hun kommer fra Norge. — She is from Norway.
Vi lærer norsk. — We learn Norwegian.
Vi bor i Oslo. — We live in Oslo.
Dere lærer norsk. — You learn Norwegian.
Dere kommer fra Norge. — You are from Norway.
De bor i Oslo. — They live in Oslo.
De heter Emma og Jonas. — Their names are Emma and Jonas.