Ordinal Numbers in Norwegian

In Brief

Norwegian ordinal numbers show position in an order: første “first,” andre “second,” tredje “third,” and fjerde “fourth.” Before a definite noun, the usual pattern is den/det/de + ordinal + definite noun: den første dagen (“the first day”), det tredje forsøket (“the third attempt”). A number followed by a period is also read as an ordinal, so 5. juli is read femte juli.

Overview

An ordinal number tells you where someone or something comes in a sequence: first, second, third, and so on. This contrasts with a cardinal number, which tells you how many: én, to, tre (“one, two, three”). Norwegian calls ordinal numbers ordenstall.

This is an A1 topic because ordinals appear early in everyday Norwegian. You need them for calendar dates, floors in a building, rankings, chapters, birthdays, and steps in a process. The basic idea is familiar to an English speaker, but Norwegian uses different endings and a different pattern around definite nouns.

The most useful beginner forms are irregular and must be learned individually: første, andre, tredje, and fjerde. Later forms become more predictable, although spelling changes mean that it is still better to learn common ordinals as complete words rather than simply adding one ending to every number.

How It Works

The essential forms

The first four forms do not follow one simple productive rule. Learn them as a set.

Number	Cardinal	Ordinal	English
1	én/ett	første	first
2	to	andre	second
3	tre	tredje	third
4	fire	fjerde	fourth

From five onward, many forms end in -te, -de, or -ende. These are spelling patterns, not endings that you can safely attach without changing the number word.

Number	Cardinal	Ordinal	English
5	fem	femte	fifth
6	seks	sjette	sixth
7	sju	sjuende	seventh
8	åtte	åttende	eighth
9	ni	niende	ninth
10	ti	tiende	tenth
11	elleve	ellevte	eleventh
12	tolv	tolvte	twelfth
13	tretten	trettende	thirteenth
14	fjorten	fjortende	fourteenth
15	femten	femtende	fifteenth
16	seksten	sekstende	sixteenth
17	sytten	syttende	seventeenth
18	atten	attende	eighteenth
19	nitten	nittende	nineteenth
20	tjue	tjuende	twentieth

You may also meet the accepted variants syvende for “seventh” and tyvende for “twentieth.” The forms with sju- and tjue- fit the modern cardinal numbers sju and tjue and are a straightforward set for learners to use consistently.

Ordinals before definite nouns

A noun is a word for a person, place, thing, or idea, such as dag (“day”) or forsøk (“attempt”). When an ordinal identifies a particular noun, Norwegian commonly uses double definiteness: a definite word appears before the ordinal, and the noun also has its definite ending.

Type	Pattern	Norwegian	English
Common-gender singular	den + ordinal + definite noun	den første dagen	the first day
Neuter singular	det + ordinal + definite noun	det tredje forsøket	the third attempt
Plural	de + ordinal + definite plural noun	de første ukene	the first weeks

In den første dagen, dag-en already contains the definite ending meaning “the day.” English uses only “the” before the ordinal, so English speakers often forget either den or the Norwegian noun ending. Treat the whole pattern as one unit.

The ordinal itself normally keeps the same form across these patterns:

• den første dagen — the first day
• det første året — the first year
• de første dagene — the first days

This is simpler than English first, which also stays unchanged, but Norwegian makes definiteness more visible around it.

Indefinite and predicative uses

An ordinal can occur without den, det, or de when the noun phrase (the noun together with its describing words) is not presented as one specific definite item:

• et tredje forsøk — a third attempt
• en femte deltaker — a fifth participant
• Vi trenger et annet eksempel. — We need another example.

An ordinal may also stand alone after a verb or when the noun is understood:

• Hun kom først. — She came first.
• Han ble nummer tre. — He came third / He was number three.
• Jeg tar den andre. — I’ll take the second one.

Notice the contrast between første and først. Første is the ordinal used with or in place of a noun: den første bussen. Først is usually an adverb (a word describing when or how something happens): Først spiser vi (“First, we eat”) or Hun kom først (“She came first”).

The special second form: andre, annen, anna, and annet

For an ordinary sequence, “second” is normally andre:

• den andre dagen — the second day
• det andre forsøket — the second attempt
• de andre deltakerne — the other participants

These forms belong to the same word family as annen (“another/other”), which shows agreement—its form changes to match the noun:

Noun type	Form	Example	Meaning
Masculine/common gender	annen	en annen dag	another day
Feminine	anna	ei anna uke	another week
Neuter	annet	et annet svar	another answer
Definite or plural	andre	den andre dagen; andre svar	the second/other day; other answers

In Bokmål, feminine nouns may also be treated as common-gender nouns, so en annen uke is possible alongside ei anna uke. The practical beginner rule is: use andre after den, det, or de for “the second,” but use annet with an indefinite neuter noun: et annet forsøk. Do not replace det andre forsøket with det annet forsøket in ordinary modern conversation.

Dates

Norwegian dates use ordinal numbers. In writing, a period after the numeral marks it as ordinal:

• 5. juli — read femte juli
• 17. mai — read syttende mai
• 1. januar — read første januar

In a full expression, you can hear den before the date: I dag er det den femte juli (“Today is the fifth of July”). In labels, headings, and compact date expressions, the numeral and month often stand without it: Møtet er 5. juli (“The meeting is on July 5”). Month names are normally lowercase in Norwegian.

Do not read the period as punctuation that ends the sentence. In Vi møtes 3. august, the period after 3 tells you to say tredje.

Floors and numbered items

For floors, use an ordinal with etasje:

• første etasje — first floor
• andre etasje — second floor
• i fjerde etasje — on the fourth floor

Norwegian floor numbering can differ from the British use of “ground floor”: street level is commonly første etasje. When an exact location matters, confirm how the particular building labels its floors.

For buses, rooms, chapters, and other labels, Norwegian may use a cardinal number after the noun instead: rom 204, buss 30, kapittel 5. This identifies a label or number, not necessarily a position. Compare det femte kapitlet (“the fifth chapter”) with kapittel fem (“chapter five”).

Larger and compound ordinals

Useful round-number forms include trettiende (30th), førtiende (40th), femtiende (50th), hundrede (100th), and tusende (1000th). In compound ordinals, the final part carries the ordinal meaning:

• tjueførste — twenty-first
• tjueandre — twenty-second
• trettitredje — thirty-third
• hundreogførste — hundred and first

Norwegian number words are often written as compounds. For everyday learning, check the spelling of a longer form rather than guessing where English-style spaces or hyphens should go.

Examples in Context

Norwegian	English	Note
Dette er den første dagen på kurset.	This is the first day of the course.	Definite common-gender noun
Vi møttes den andre kvelden.	We met on the second evening.	andre means second in a sequence
Det tredje forsøket gikk bra.	The third attempt went well.	Definite neuter noun
Jeg bor i fjerde etasje.	I live on the fourth floor.	Common floor expression
Hun kom på femteplass.	She came in fifth place.	femteplass is a compound noun
Toget går den sjette juni.	The train leaves on the sixth of June.	Spoken-out date
Nasjonaldagen er 17. mai.	Constitution Day is May 17.	17. is read syttende
Vi begynner med det første kapitlet.	We begin with the first chapter.	Double definiteness
Han tok et tredje kakestykke.	He took a third piece of cake.	Indefinite: et, not det
De første ukene var travle.	The first weeks were busy.	Definite plural pattern
Jeg tar den andre.	I’ll take the second one.	The noun is understood
Først leser du teksten, og så svarer du.	First you read the text, and then you answer.	Adverb først, not attributive første
Kontoret ligger i tjueførste etasje.	The office is on the twenty-first floor.	Compound ordinal
Les kapittel fem før den femte timen.	Read chapter five before the fifth lesson.	Label with cardinal; sequence with ordinal
Kan vi prøve en annen dag?	Can we try another day?	annen means another, not a numbered second day

Common Mistakes

Using a cardinal number for a date

• Wrong: Vi møtes fem juli.
• Right: Vi møtes femte juli. / Vi møtes 5. juli.
• Why: A calendar date gives a day’s position in the month, so Norwegian uses an ordinal. In numeric writing, the period marks that ordinal.

Omitting part of double definiteness

• Wrong: den første dag
• Right: den første dagen
• Why: With a specific modified noun, Norwegian normally uses both den and the definite ending -en. English “the first day” does not show this twice.

Using annet after det for an ordinary second item

• Wrong: det annet forsøket in ordinary modern speech
• Right: det andre forsøket
• Why: The standard everyday definite form is andre. Use annet in an indefinite neuter phrase such as et annet forsøk (“another attempt”).

Confusing første and først

• Wrong: Første spiser vi middag.
• Right: Først spiser vi middag.
• Why: Første describes a noun or stands for “the first one.” Først describes the order in which an action happens.

Copying English floor assumptions

• Potentially misleading: assuming andre etasje always matches British “first floor”
• Clearer: identify street level as første etasje and the level above as andre etasje when that is the building’s system.
• Why: Floor labels vary across countries and sometimes across buildings. Read the local signs rather than translating the number automatically.

Usage Notes

Ordinals usually have the same form with masculine, feminine, neuter, and plural nouns: den første dagen, det første året, de første årene. The article and noun ending show gender and number; the ordinal generally does not change. The annen/annet/andre family is the important nearby exception learners need to recognize.

In rankings, Norwegian often uses på plus a place compound: på førsteplass (“in first place”), på andreplass (“in second place”). In sports results and lists, you will also see digits followed by periods: 1., 2., 3.

Several alternative number forms are accepted in Bokmål. You may encounter sjuende/syvende and tjuende/tyvende. Choose one internally consistent modern set for your own speech, but learn to recognize both in reading and listening.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master these details at A1, but they explain forms you may meet later.

The word family annen–anna–annet–andre covers both “other/another” and, in definite contexts, “second.” Context resolves the meaning: den andre boka can mean “the second book” when books are ordered, or “the other book” when two books are being contrasted. If the distinction matters, add context such as bok nummer to (“book number two”).

Formal organization often uses fixed sequencing expressions. For det første means “firstly,” and for det andre means “secondly.” Here det is part of the fixed expression; no following noun is needed:

• For det første har vi ikke tid. For det andre er det for dyrt.
• “Firstly, we do not have time. Secondly, it is too expensive.”

You may occasionally meet older or more formal forms related to annen, including for det annet. Modern everyday Bokmål strongly favors for det andre. Recognition is more useful than active use.

Ordinals can also become parts of compounds: førsteplass (“first place”), andreklasse (“second grade/class”), førstehjelp (“first aid”), and førsteinntrykk (“first impression”). Compound meanings are not always fully predictable, so learn frequent compounds as vocabulary.

Finally, a numbered title often prefers a cardinal after the noun—kapittel tre, del to, kong Harald den femte. Royal names are a special ordinal use: Harald V is read Harald den femte. This pattern belongs to more formal naming conventions, but it is common in news and history.

Practice Tips

1. Build two short chains. Say én–første, to–andre, tre–tredje through twenty. Pairing each cardinal with its ordinal makes irregular spelling easier to remember.
2. Read real dates aloud. Take five dates from your calendar and convert 3. august to tredje august, 21. september to tjueførste september, and so on. Remember that Norwegian months use lowercase letters.
3. Practice complete noun phrases. Rotate one ordinal through den første dagen, det første året, and de første ukene. This trains double definiteness instead of teaching the ordinal in isolation.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Numbers and Time — provides the cardinal numbers and basic date vocabulary that ordinals build on.