Definite Form (Suffixed Article) in Norwegian

Overview

One of the most striking features of Norwegian — and all Scandinavian languages — is that the definite article ("the") is not a separate word placed before the noun. Instead, it is attached to the end of the noun as a suffix. Where English says "the car," Norwegian says bilen — literally "car-the." This suffixed article system is something you will use in virtually every Norwegian sentence, making it an essential A1 skill.

The suffix you add depends on the noun's gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter) and whether the noun is singular or plural. Since you already know the three genders from the indefinite articles (en, ei, et), the definite suffixes follow a predictable pattern. Learning them is a natural next step that will immediately expand what you can express.

Getting comfortable with definite suffixes early on is crucial because they appear everywhere — in everyday conversation, in signs, in menus, and in written text. They also interact with adjectives in what is called "double determination," a topic you will encounter soon.

How It Works

Singular definite suffixes

Gender	Indefinite	Definite	Suffix	Example
Masculine (m)	en bil	bilen	-en	the car
Feminine (f)	ei jente	jenta	-a	the girl
Neuter (n)	et hus	huset	-et	the house

Plural definite suffixes

Gender	Indefinite Plural	Definite Plural	Suffix	Example
Masculine	biler	bilene	-ene	the cars
Feminine	jenter	jentene	-ene	the girls
Neuter	hus	husene (or husa)	-ene / -a	the houses

In plural definite form, all genders typically use -ene. Some neuter nouns and some dialects use -a for plural definite (husa instead of husene), but -ene is always safe in Bokmål.

Nouns ending in a vowel

When a noun already ends in -e, the suffix merges smoothly:

Noun	Indefinite	Definite Singular	Rule
en skole (a school)	skole	skolen	Add -n
ei jente (a girl)	jente	jenta	Replace -e with -a
et eple (an apple)	eple	eplet	Add -t

Feminine nouns in Bokmål

Remember that Bokmål allows feminine nouns to be treated as masculine. This means boka and boken are both acceptable for "the book." Using the -a ending (boka) sounds more natural in speech, while -en (boken) is common in conservative written Bokmål.

Examples in Context

Norwegian	English	Note
bilen	the car	Masculine -en
jenta	the girl	Feminine -a
huset	the house	Neuter -et
bilene	the cars	Plural definite -ene
jentene	the girls	Plural definite -ene
husene	the houses	Plural definite -ene
Bilen er rød.	The car is red.	Subject with definite suffix
Jeg liker huset.	I like the house.	Object with definite suffix
Boka er på bordet.	The book is on the table.	Two definite nouns in one sentence
Katten sover.	The cat is sleeping.	Masculine definite
Vinduet er åpent.	The window is open.	Neuter definite
Barna leker ute.	The children are playing outside.	Irregular plural definite

Common Mistakes

Wrong: den bil (trying to say "the car" like in English) Right: bilen Why: Norwegian does not use a separate word for "the" with plain nouns. The article is always suffixed.

Wrong: husen (neuter noun with masculine suffix) Right: huset Why: Neuter nouns take -et in the singular definite, not -en.

Wrong: jenten (feminine noun with masculine suffix when feminine form is intended) Right: jenta (or jenten if treating as masculine in conservative Bokmål) Why: If you choose to use the feminine form, the suffix is -a, not -en. Be consistent within a text.

Wrong: husene when the noun is singular. Right: huset (singular) vs. husene (plural) Why: Make sure you distinguish singular definite from plural definite — the endings are different.

Usage Notes

The suffixed article is used in the same contexts where English uses "the" — when referring to something specific, previously mentioned, or generally known. Norwegian also uses the definite form in some places where English would not, such as with days of the week (på mandagen — on Monday, specific) and in some fixed expressions.

In Bokmål, the choice between -a and -en for feminine nouns is a matter of style. Newspapers, official documents, and formal writing tend toward -en, while fiction, blogs, and casual writing often use -a. Both are correct. As a learner, picking one style and being consistent is more important than worrying about which is "better."

This is a core A1 concept that you will use in every single conversation in Norwegian.

Practice Tips

• Transform lists. Take a list of nouns you know in their indefinite form and convert each to its definite form. Say them aloud: en stol → stolen, ei bok → boka, et bord → bordet.
• Label your environment. Put sticky notes on objects at home with their definite form: stolen on your chair, bordet on your table, vinduet on your window.
• Read short texts and highlight. In any Norwegian text, underline all the definite nouns. Notice the suffixes and check if you can identify the gender from the ending.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Noun Gender (Three Genders) — you must know a noun's gender to form the correct definite suffix