Author name: Vaikundamoni

Norwegian Classroom:Nouns-Genders and Plurals

Classroom - Norwegian / By

Speak Norwegian

Norwegian Classroom:Nouns-Genders and Plurals

Nouns
Now we’ll move into something which is a little more complicated, and a little more different from English. You probably know what nouns are, and now we’re going to see how they act in Norwegian. As you might have noticed already, many words aren’t too different from English. Some examples of a few Norwegian nouns:
Hus Tre Ball Klokke
This is how you conjugate a noun in English:
Singular Indefinite Singular Definite Plural Indefinite Plural Definite
a house the house houses the houses

In English the -s ending means plural, and the is the definite article. The only thing that may cause problems for foreigners is the use of a / an, and some irregular plural forms.

The problematic thing in Norwegian is that it has, like most other Indo-European languages, several genders. And it doesn’t only have two, but three genders. They are called masculine, feminine and neuter.

It’s pretty impossible to know which gender a noun is, so in this tutorial we’ll always tell you the gender of the new nouns, by adding (m), (f) or (n) after the words. You’ll find this in most dictionaries as well.
Nouns in Norwegian (Bokmål) have two genders, masculine and neuter, which adjectives must agree with when modifying nouns. Technically there is a third gender, feminine (which Nynorsk retains), but since feminine nouns can be written as masculine nouns, I’m including feminine nouns in the masculine category. There are two indefinite articles that correspond with these genders: en for masculine nouns and et for neuter nouns. In the vocabulary lists, a noun followed by (n) means that it is a neuter noun and it takes the indefinite article et. The majority of nouns in Norwegian are masculine, so they take the indefinite article en. The only case of nouns that is used in Norwegian is the genitive (showing possession), and it is easily formed by adding an -s to the noun. This is comparable to adding -‘s in English to show possession. However, if the noun already ends in -s, then you add nothing (unlike English where we add -‘ or -‘s). Olavs hus = Olav’s house Masculine nouns generally add -er or -r to the indefinite singular noun to form the indefinite plural, and -ene or -ne to form the definite plural. The names of jobs ending in -er only add -e and -ne in these cases. Neuter nouns that are more than one syllable form plural nouns the same way as masculine nouns. Neuter nouns that are only one syllable, however, add nothing to form the indefinite plural and either -ene or -a to form the definite plural.
Singular
Indefinite Plural
Definite Plural
en fisk fisker some fish fiskene the fishes
en hage hager some gardens hagene the gardens
en baker bakere some bakers bakerne the bakers
et vindu
 vinduer some windows vinduene the windows
et hus hus some houses husene the houses
et barn barn some children barna the children

Irregular plural nouns in Norwegian

Singular
Irregular Indefinite Plural
Singular = Indefinite Plural
and ender duck(s) angrep (n) attack(s)
bok bøker book(s) besøk (n) visit(s)
bonde bønder peasant(s) eventyr (n) tale(s), story(ies)
fot føtter foot(feet) feil error(s), mistake(s)
hånd hender hand(s) forhold circumstance(s)
håndkle håndklær hand towel(s) høve (n) opportunity(ies)
kne (n) knær knee(s) kreps crawfish(es)
kraft krefter strength mus mouse(s)
ku kyr cow(s) mygg mosquito(es)
natt netter night(s) sild herring(s)
mann menn man(men) sko shoe(s)
rand render edge(s) spiker nail(s)
rot røtter root(s) ting thing(s)
sted (n) steder place(s) våpen weapon(s)
stang stenger bar(s)
strand strender beach(es)
tang tenger pincher(s)
tann tenner tooth(teeth)
tre trær tree(s)
tå tær toe(s)
øye øyne eye(s)
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Norwegian Classroom:Articles and Demonstratives

Classroom - Norwegian, Learn Norwegian / By

Learn Norwegian

Norwegian Articles and Demonstratives

There are two indefinite articles (corresponding to a and an): en and et. En is used with most of the nouns (words denoting people almost always use en), but you will just have to learn which article goes with which noun. The definite article (the) is not a separate word like in most other languages. It is simply a form of the indefinite article attached to the end of the noun. Note that en words ending in a vowel retain that vowel and add an -n instead of adding -en. And et words ending in -e just add -t. Furthermore, the t of et as an indefinite article is pronounced; however, the t is silent in the definite article -et attached to the noun. (For feminine nouns, the indefinite article is ei and the definite article that is attached to the noun is -a. In theory, this gender does still exist in Bokmål, but in practice, it is rarely used and the feminine nouns are inflected like masculine nouns, i.e. add -en instead of -a for the definite form.)

Articles

En words (masculine)
Indefinite
Definite
en fisk a fish fisken the fish
en baker a baker bakeren the baker
en hage a garden hagen the garden
Et words (neuter)
Indefinite
Definite
et vindu a window vinduet the window
et barn a child barnet the child
et hus a house huset the house

Demonstrative Adjectives

masculine denne dressen this suit den dressen that suit
neuter dette skjerfet this scarf det skjerfet that scarf
plural disse skoene these shoes de skoene those shoes
Notice that the noun that follows a demonstrative adjective must have the definite article attached to it. (The feminine form of demonstratives is identical to the masculine; denne and den.)
 
Noun conjugation

Take a look at some Norwegian nouns:

Singular Indefinite Singular Definite Plural Indefinite Plural Definite
masculine en gutt a boy gutten the boy gutter boys guttene the boys
feminine ei jente a girl jenta the girl jenter girls jentene the girls
neuter et hus a house huset the house hus houses husene the houses
From the table we can figure out the following rules:
  • The indefinite articles in Norwegian are en, ei, and et.

  • A big difference from English is that the definite article is added in the end of the word as a suffix. The singular suffixes are -en, -a, and -et. If the nouns originally ends with a vowel, you remove it before adding the suffix.

  • To make the indefinite plural in Norwegian you add the suffix -er, except for most one-syllabled neuter nouns, which often don’t get any suffix at all.

    Everything can be illustrated clearly with a table:
     
    Gender Singular Indefinite Singular Definite Plural Indefinite Plural Definite
    masculine en – -en -er -ene
    feminine ei – -a -er -ene
    neuter et – -et -(er) -ene
     
    As you can see, this is not difficult if you know the noun’s gender. Try to memorize this, and write it down if you have a notebook.
Irregular nouns
Some nouns are irregular, which means that they don’t follow the rules in table we made earlier in this lesson. This is a well known problem also in English, for example “men“ and “women“. In both of them the vowel changes in plural, and they don’t get any -s in the end. These are the most important irregular ones in Norwegian:
man en mann mannen menn mennene
tree et tre treet trær trærne
brother en bror broren brødre brødrene
sister ei søster søstera søstre søstrene
These should just be memorized, but if you don’t bother doing that right now, you can write them down and take a look them when you need them.
Many nouns end with -er in Norwegian. These are always masculine (except “sister“, of course), and their conjugation is slightly different in plural:
player en spiller spilleren spillere spillerne
 
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Finnish Verbs

Classroom - Finnish, Learn Finnish / By

  Finnish Verb types: How to use them

Types of Finnish Verbs and usagesTypes of Finnish Verbs and usages

There are six verb types in Finnish. It’s important to know which verb type a verb belongs to, because every verb type has its own rules when you conjugate them.

1. Verb type 1

Verb type 1 is the most commonly used verb type. These types of verbs end in 2 vowels(-aa, -ea, -eä, -ia, -iä, -oa, -ua, -yä, -ää, -öä).

To find this type of verb’s infinitive stem (this is the stem to which you add the endings that are typical for the minä form, the sinä form, etc): remove the -a or -ä. Remember that verb type 1 verbs undergo consonant gradation if possible!
  Puhua (to speak) Sanoa (to say) Istua (to sit)
Person Conjugation English Conjugation English Conjugation English
minä puhun I speak sanon I say istun I sit
sinä puhut you speak sanot you say istut you sit
hän puhuu he speaks sanoo he says istuu he sits
me puhumme we speak sanomme we say istumme we sit
te puhutte you speak sanotte you say istutte you sit
he puhuvat they speak sanovat they say istuvat they sit

Examples of verb type 1 that undergo consonant gradation

Some other common type 1 verbs: ajaa (to drive), alkaa (to start, to begin), antaa (to give, to let (someone do something), to allow), asua (to live in a place, to reside), auttaa (to help), etsiä (to look for, to seek), herättää (to wake (someone) up), hoitaa (to take care of), huutaa (to shout), katsoa (to look at), kieltää (to deny), kiertää (to go around), kirjoittaa (to write), kysyä (to ask), laajentaa (to expand), laskea (to count), lukea (to read), lähteä (to leave), maksaa (to pay, to cost), muistaa (to remember), neuvoa (to give advice), odottaa (to wait, to expect), ostaa

(to buy), ottaa (to take), paistaa (to fry, to shine), puhua (to speak), rakastaa (to love), rakastua (to fall in love), saartaa (to shatter), sallia (to allow), sanoa (to say), soittaa (to call, to play (an instrument)), sortaa (to collapse), tietää (to know something), tuntea (to feel), unohtaa (to forget), unohtua (to forget oneself), vaatia (to demand), ymmärtää (to understand)

2. Verb type 2

These types of verbs end in -da/-dä. To find this type of verb’s infinitive stem, youremove the -da/-dä.

Notice that the third person singular doesn’t get the final letter doubled like in verb type 1!
  Saada (to get) Juoda (to drink) Syödä (to eat)
Person Conjugation English Conjugation English Conjugation English
minä saan I get juon I drink syön I eat
sinä saat you get juot you drink syöt you eat
hän saa he gets juo he drinks syö he eats
me saamme we get juomme we drink syömme we eat
te saatte you get juotte you drink syötte you eat
he saavat they get juovat they drink syövät they eat

Some other common type 2 verbs: juoda (to drink), jäädä (to stay), käydä (to visit), luennoida (to lecture), myydä (to sell), pysäköidä (to park), saada (to get, to be allowed), soida (to ring (out), syödä (to eat), terrorisoida (to terrorize), tuoda (to bring), tupakoida (to smoke), uida (to swim), viedä (to take), voida (to be able to)

3. Verb type 3

This type of verbs ends in -lla/-llä, -nna/-nnä, -ra/-rä, -sta/-stä (in other words: in two consonants and a vowel). To find this type of verb’s infinitive stem, remove the -la or -lä, -na or -nä, -ra or -rä, or -ta or -tä.To this stem, you add an -e- before adding the personal ending!

Remember that verb type 3 verbs undergo consonant gradation if possible!
  Tulla (to come) Mennä (to go) Nousta (to rise)
Person Conjugation English Conjugation English Conjugation English
minä tulen I come menen I go nousen I rise
sinä tulet you come menet you go nouset you rise
hän tulee he comes menee he goes nousee he rises
me tulemme we come menemme we go nousemme we rise
te tulette you come menette you go nousette you rise
he tulevat they come menevät they go nousevat they rise
Examples of verb type 3 that undergo consonant gradation

Some other common type 3 verbs: ajatella (to think about something), hymyillä (to smile), julkaista (to publish), kiistellä (to quarrel), kuulla (to hear), kuunnella (to listen), kävellä (to walk), mennä (to go), nousta (to rise, to get up), olla (to be), ommella (to sew), opetella (to learn), opiskella (to study), panna (to put), pestä (to wash), purra (to bite), ratkaista (to solve), riidellä (to fight), surra (to mourn), suudella (to kiss), tapella (to fight), tulla (to come, to become), työskennellä (to work)

4. Verb type 4

These types of verbs end in -ata/-ätä, -ota/-ötä, -uta/-ytä. To find this type of verb’sinfinitive stem, you remove the -t. (so NOT the final -a!)

The third person singular gets an -a added to the end when the two vowels from the stem are different vowels. When the two vowels are -aa- it wouldn’t make sense to add a third one, so we add nothing. Remember that verb type 4 verbs undergo consonant gradation if possible!
  Haluta (to want) Osata (to be able to) Pakata (to pack)
Person Conjugation English Conjugation English Conjugation English
minä haluan I want osaan I am able to pakkaan I pack
sinä haluat you want osaat you’re able to pakkaat you pack
hän haluaa he wants osaa he’s able to pakkaa he packs
me haluamme we want osaamme we’re able to pakkaamme we pack
te haluatte you want osaatte you’re able to pakkaatte you pack
he haluavat they want osaavat they’re able to pakkaavat they pack

Examples of verb type 4 that undergo consonant gradation

Some other common type 4 verbs: avata (to open), erota (to divorce), hakata (to beat), haluta (to want), herätä (to wake up), huomata (to notice), hypätä (to jump), hävetä (to be ashamed), hävitä (to lose, to disappear), juoruta

Types of Finnish Verbs and usages

(to gossip), kadota (to disappear), kiivetä (to climb), lakata (to stop), luvata (to promise), maata (to lie (down)), määrätä (to determine), osata (to be able to), pelata (to play), pelätä (to be scared), piffata (to treat), pihdata (to skimp), pudota (to fall), ruveta (to start), selvitä (to become clear), siivota (to clean), tarjota (to offer, to serve), tavata (to meet), tilata (to order), todeta (to state), tykätä (to like), vastata (to answer), älytä (to get something, to understand)

5. Verb type 5

These types of verbs end in -ita/-itä. Ocassionally, you will come across verbs that have this ending but do not conjugate the same way; these verbs belong to verb type 4.

To find this type of verb’s infinitive stem, you remove the final -ta/-tä. To this stem, you then add -tse- before adding the personal ending!
  Häiritä (to disturb) Tarvita (to need)
Person Conjugation English Conjugation English
minä häiritsen I disturb tarvitsen I need
sinä häiritset you disturb tarvitset you need
hän häiritsee he disturbs tarvitsee he needs
me häiritsemme we disturb tarvitsemme we need
te häiritsette you disturb tarvitsette you need
he häiritsevät they disturb tarvitsevat they need

Some other common type 5 verbs: hallita (to rule, to govern, to be able to), havaita (to perceive), hillitä (to restrain, to check, to control), häiritä (to disturb), kyyditä (to give someone a lift, to drive), mainita (to mention), merkitä (to mark), palkita (to reward, to award), tarvita (to need), tulkita (to interpret)

6. Verb type 6

Verb type 6 is very rarely used. This type of verb ends in -eta/-etä. The meaning will always be “to become something”, meaning it implies a change from one state to another. If a verb of this type doesn’t mean a change, it will be conjugated like a normal verb type 4 verb.

To find this type of verb’s infinitive stem, you remove the final -ta/-tä. To this stem, you then add -ne- before adding the personal ending! Remember that verb type 6 verbs undergo consonant gradation if possible!
  Vaaleta (to whiten) Lämmetä (to become warm)
Person Conjugation English Conjugation English
minä vaalenen I whiten lämpenen I become warm
sinä vaalenet you whiten lämpenet you become warm
hän vaalenee he whitens lämpenee he becomes warm
me vaalenemme we whiten lämpenemme we become warm
te vaalenette you whiten lämpenette you become warm
he vaalenevat they whiten lämpenevät they become warm

Some other common type 6 verbs: paeta (to run away), kylmetä (to get cold), vanheta (to become old), kalveta (to turn pale), valjeta (to brighten up), tarjeta (to stand the cold), rohjeta (to presume), nuoreta (to become younger), pidetä (to become longer), lyhetä (to become shorter), tummeta (to darken), kyetä (to be able to), vaieta (to become silent), aueta (to come loose)

Examples of verb type 6 verbs that get conjugated like verb type 4: kiivetä (to climb), ruveta (to start) and hävetä (to be ashamed)

Types of Finnish Verbs and usages

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Danish Classroom-Small Talk and Expressions

Classroom - Danish / By

Spoken Danish

Danish Conversation:
English Danish
Hello. How are you? Hej, hvordan har du det ?
Hello. I’m fine, thank you Hej, jeg har det fint, tak
Do you speak Danish? Taler du dansk ?
No, I don’t speak Danish Nej, jeg taler ikke dansk
Only a little bit En lille smule
Where do you come from? Hvor er du fra ?
What is your nationality? Hvor kommer du fra ?
I am English Jeg er englænder
And you, do you live here? Og hvad med dig, er du herfra ?
Yes, I live here Ja, jeg bor her
My name is Sarah, what’s your name? Jeg hedder Sarah, hvad hedder du ?
Julian Jeg hedder Julien
What are you doing here? Hvad laver du her ?
I am on holiday Jeg er på ferie
We are on holiday Vi er på ferie
I am on a business trip Jeg er på forretningsrejse
I work here Jeg arbejder her
We work here Vi arbejder her
Where are the good places to go out and eat? Er der nogle gode steder at spise ?
Is there a museum in the neighbourhood? Er der et museum her i nærheden?
Where could I get an internet connection? Hvor jeg jeg gå på internettet ?
 

Danish Small Talk

Hej! Hi  
Goddag Hello (formal) 
Hvordan har du det? How are you?
Hvad så? What’s up? (informal)
Farvel Good bye
God morgen Good morning
God nat Good night
Tak! Thank you
Undskyld mig Excuse me
Jeg elsker dig I love you
Essential Danish:
English Danish
Hello Goddag / Hej
Good evening Godaften
Goodbye Hej hej
See you later Vi ses senere
Yes Jo
No Nej
Excuse me! Undskyld  ?
Thanks Tak
Thanks a lot Mange tak
Thank you for your help Tak for hjœlpen
Don’t mention it Det var så lidt
Ok Okay, det er I orden
How much is it? Hvor meget koster det ?
Sorry! Undskyld
I don’t understand Jeg forstår det ikke
I get it Jeg har forstået
I don’t know Det ved jeg ikke
Forbidden Forbudt
Excuse me, where are the toilets? Undskyld, hvor finder jeg toiletterne  ?
Happy New Year! Godt nytår!
Happy birthday! Tillykke med fødselsdagen !
Happy holiday! God højtid
Congratulations! Tillykke!
English Greetings Danish Greetings:
Hi! Hej!
Good morning! God morgen!
Good evening! God aften!
Welcome! (to greet someone) Velkommen!
How are you? Hvordan har du/ de det?
I’m fine, thanks! Jeg har det fint, tak!
And you? Og dig/ dem?
Good/ So-So. Godt/ Sådan nogenlunde.
Thank you (very much)! Tak! (Mange tak!)
You’re welcome! (for “thank you”) Du/ de er velkommen!
Hey! Friend! Hej! Ven!
I missed you so much! Jeg har savnet dig/ dem så meget!
What’s new? Hvad så?
Nothing much Ikke meget.
Good night! God nat!
See you later! På gensyn!
Good bye! Farvel!
Asking for Help and Directions
I’m lost Jeg er faret vild.
Can I help you? Kan jeg hjælpe dig/ dem?
Can you help me? Kan du/ de hjælpe mig?
Where is the (bathroom/ pharmacy)? Hvor er (toilettet/ apoteket)?
Go straight! then turn left/ right! Gå lige ud. Drej derefter til venstre/ højre!
I’m looking for john. Jeg leder efter John.
One moment please! Et øjeblik!
Hold on please! (phone) Et øjeblik!
How much is this? Hvor meget koster den/ det?
Excuse me …! (to ask for something) Undskyld mig…
Excuse me! ( to pass by) Undskyld!
Come with me! Kom med mig!
Do you speak (English/ Danish)? Taler du/ de (engelsk/ dansk)?
Just a little. Kun en smule.
What’s your name? Hvad er dit/ deres navn?
My name is … Mit navn er…
Mr…/ Mrs.…/ Miss… Hr…/Fru…/Frøken…
Nice to meet you! Hyggeligt at møde dig/ dem!
You’re very kind! Du/ de er meget venlig!
Where are you from? Hvor er du/ de fra?
I’m from (the U.S/ Denmark) Jeg er fra (USA/ Danmark)
I’m (American) Jeg er amerikaner.
Where do you live? Hvor bor du/ de?
I live in (the U.S/ Danmark) Jeg bor i (USA/ Danmark)
Did you like it here? Kan du/ de lide det her?
Denmark is a wonderful country Danmark er et fantastisk land.
What do you do for a living? Hvad arbejder du/ de som?
I work as a (translator/ businessman) Jeg arbejder som en (oversætter/ forretningsmand)
I like Danish Jeg kan lide dansk.
I’ve been learning Danish for 1 month Jeg har lært dansk i en måned.
Oh! That’s good! Oh! Det er godt!
How old are you? Hvor gammel er du/ de?
I’m (twenty, thirty…) years old. Jeg er (tyve, tredive…) år gammel.
I have to go Jeg er nødt til at gå.
I will be right back! Jeg er straks tilbage!
Wish Someone Something
Good luck! Held og lykke!
Happy birthday! Tillykke med fødselsdagen!
Happy new year! Godt nytår!
Merry Christmas! Glædelig jul!
Congratulations! Tillykke!
Enjoy! (for meals…) Velbekomme!
I’d like to visit Denmark one day Jeg kunne tænke mig at besøge Danmark en dag.
Say hi to John for me Sig hej til John fra mig.
Bless you (when sneezing) Prosit!
Good night and sweet dreams! God nat og drøm sødt!
Solving a Misunderstanding
I’m Sorry! (if you don’t hear something) Undskyld!
Sorry (for a mistake) Jeg beklager.
No Problem! Intet problem!
Can You Say It Again? Kan du/ de sige det igen?
Can You Speak Slowly? Kan du/ de sige det langsomt?
Write It Down Please! Vær venlig at skrive det ned!
I Don’t Understand! Jeg forstår ikke!
I Don’t Know! Jeg ved det ikke!
I Have No Idea. Jeg har ingen anelse!
What’s That Called In Danish? Hvad hedder det på dansk?
What Does “gato” Mean In English? Hvad betyder “undsklyld” på Engelsk?
How Do You Say “Please” In Danish? Hvordan siger man “please” på dansk?
What Is This? Hvad er det?
My Danish is bad. Mit dansk er dårligt.
I need to practice my Danish Jeg har brug for at øve mit dansk.
Don’t worry! Bare rolig!
Danish Expressions and Words
Good/ Bad/ So-So. Godt/ Dårligt/ Sådan nogenlunde
Big/ Small Stor/ Lille
Today/ Now I dag/ Nu
Tomorrow/ Yesterday I morgen/ I går
Yes/ No Ja/ Nej
Here you go! (when giving something) Værsgo!
Do you like it? Kan du/ de lide den?
I really like it! Jeg kan virkelig lide den!
I’m hungry/ thirsty. Jeg er sulten/ tørstig.
In The Morning/ Evening/ At Night. Om morgenen/ om aftenen/ om natten
This/ That. Here/There Denne/dette / den/det. Her/ der
Me/ You. Him/ Her. Mig/ dig/ dem. Ham/ Hende
Really! Virkelig!
Look! Se!
Hurry up! Skynd dig/ dem!
What? Where? Hvad? Hvor?
What time is it? Hvad er klokken?
It’s 10 o’clock. 07:30pm. Klokken er 10. Klokken 7:30.
Give me this! Giv mig den/det!
I love you! Jeg elsker dig/ dem!
I feel sick. Jeg føler mig dårlig.
I need a doctor Jeg har brug for en læge.
One, Two, Three En, to, tre
Four, Five, Six Fire, fem, seks
Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten Syv, otte, ni, ti
 

THE TIME

What time is it?: Hvad er klokken? It’s ? o’clock.: Klokken er ? Today: i dag Tomorrow: i morgen Early: tidlig Monday: mandag Tuesday: tirsdag Wednesday: onsdag Thursday: torsdag Friday: fredag Saturday: lordag Sunday: sondag Numbers Zero: nul One: en Two: to Three: tre Four: fire Five: fem Six: seks Seven: syv Eight: otte Nine: ni Ten: ti

CONVERSATION 1

John and Mette meet at Mads’ party
John: Hej. Jeg hedder John. Hi. I’m John
Mette: Hej, Mette. Hi. Mette
John: Fed fest, hva’? Nice party, huh?
Mette: Ja, det er det. Yes, it is.
Hvor kender du Mads fra? How do you know Mads?
John: Vi arbejder sammen. We work together
Mette: Er du også lærer? Are you also a teacher?
John: Ja, det er jeg. Yes, I am.
Jeg arbejder som vikar her i København. I’m working as a substitute teacher here in Copenhagen.
Mette: Kommer du fra København? Are you from Copenhagen?
John: Nej, jeg er faktisk ikke dansker. No, I’m actually not a Dane.
Jeg kommer fra Namibia. I’m from Namibia.
Mette: Er det rigtigt? Really?
Hvor spændende. How exciting.
Hvor længe har du været i Danmark? How long have you been in Denmark?
John: Jeg har været her i næsten tre måneder. I’ve been here almost 3 months.
Mette: Men du taler da flot dansk! But you speak Danish very well.
John: Tak. Thanks.
Mine forældre er danskere. My parents are Danes.
Min mor bor her og min far bor i Namibia. My mother lives here, and my father lives in Namibia.
Jeg kom for at besøge min mor. I came to visit my mother.
Mette: OK. OK.
Kommer du så fra Windhoek? Are you from Windhoek, then?
John: Nej, jeg kommer fra Swakopmund. No, I’m from Swakopmund.
Det er en lille by. It’s a small town.
Hvad med dig? How about you?
Mette: Nå, jeg er bare almindelig dansker. Oh, I’m just an ordinary Dane.
Jeg er fra Aarhus, men jeg bor i København. I’m from Aarhus, but I live in Copenhagen.
John: Hvad laver du? What do you do?
Mette: Jeg er skuespiller. I’m an actress
Danish Audio Lessons
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Danish Classroom-Articles

Classroom - Danish / By

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Definite and Indefinite Article

All nouns in Danish are either common or neuter in gender. About 75% of nouns are of common gender, but many very frequently used nouns are neuter.

Indefinite Article (a/an)

A/an is expressed by en with common nouns and by et with neuter nouns. Indefinite plurals are formed by adding -e or -er to the singular.
singular plural
common neuter
en bil a car
et hus a house
biler cars
huse houses
Some nouns remain unchanged in the plural and some others are irregular.
singular plural
et rum a room
en bog a book
rum rooms
bøger books

Learning Danish is Fun

Definite Article (the)

The definite article is tagged onto the end of the noun. In the singular, common nouns take an -en ending, neuter nouns take an -et ending. In the plural, both take an -(e)ne or -(er)ne ending.
singular plural
common neuter
bilen the car
toget the train
bilerne the cars
togene the trains
Here are some more examples with both definite/indefinite and singular/plural forms:
singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
common
en bil a car
en skole a school
en stol a stool
en mus a mouse
en chip a chip
bilen the car
skolen the school
stolen the stool
musen the mouse
chippen the chip
biler cars
skoler schools
stole stools
mus mice
chips chips
bilerne the cars
skolerne the schools
stolene the stools
musene the mice
chipsene the chips
neuter
et hotel a hotel
et hus a house
et år a year
hotellet the hotel
huset the house
året the year
hoteller hotels
huse houses
år years
hotellerne the hotels
husene the houses
åren

Danish Articles and Demonstratives

How to say a, an, the, this, that, these and those in Danish

There are two indefinite articles (corresponding to a and an) in Danish: en and et. En is used with most of the nouns (words denoting people almost always use en), but you will just have to learn which article goes with which noun. The definite article (the) is not a separate word like in most other languages. It is simply a form of the indefinite article attached to the end of the noun. Note that en words ending in a vowel retain that vowel and add an -n instead of adding -en, while et words ending in -e just add a -t.
En words (common)
Indefinite Definite
en banan a banana bananen the banana
en stol a chair stolen the chair
en gade a street gaden the street
Et words (neuter)
Indefinite Definite
et bord a table bordet the table
et køkken a kitchen køkkenet the kitchen
et æble an apple æblet the apple
This/that is expressed in Danish by using denne (en words) or dette (et words) and these/those is expressed bydisse. The noun is always in the indefinite form after these demonstratives, except for when these / disse (plural) is used, in which case an er is added (unless the words already ends in an r) after the indefinite demonstrative. this banana = denne banan that table = dette bord these streets = disse gader these apples = disse æbler  ]]>

Russian Classroom-Possessive Pronouns

Classroom - Russian / By

learn and speak Russian

Russian Personal Pronouns

Singular personal pronouns.

1st person 2nd person 3rd person (masc.) 3rd person (fem.) 3rd person (neut.).
English I, Me You He, Him She, Her It
Nominative Case Я Ты Он Она Оно
Accusative Case Меня Тебя Его Её Его
Genitive Case Меня Тебя Его Её Его
Dative Case Мне Тебе Ему Ей Ему
Instrumental Case Мной Тобой Им Ей Им
Prepositional Case Мне Тебе Нём Ней Нём
Plural personal pronouns.
1st person 2nd person 3rd person
English We, Us You They, Them
Nominative Case Мы Вы Они
Accusative Case Нас Вас Их
Genitive Case Нас Вас Их
Dative Case Нам Вам Им
Instrumental Case Нами Вами Ими
Prepositional Case Нас Вас Них
Note 1: Pronouns that start with vowels may be proceeded by the letter “н” when used with prepositions. Note 2: Его is pronounced “yevo”.

Russian Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns indicate who something belongs to. They may replace a person’s name in the sentence, “Ivan’s Book”. Words like “My, Your, Our, His, Her” in English. Please note that the genders indicated in the following tables refer to the gender of the noun that these pronouns modify. (ie the noun owned). For example in the phrase “My book”, you would use the 1st person (my) and feminise gender (book is feminine) (Моя). Don’t confuse this with the pronouns “his” and “her” (Его and Её).

Singular possessive pronouns.

1st Person 2nd Person
Masc. Fem. Neut. Plural Masc. Fem. Neut. Plural
English My, Mine Your, Yours
Nominative Case Мой Моя Моё Мои Твой Твоя Твоё Твои
Accusative Case (animate) Мой Моего Мою Моё Мои Моих Твой Твоего Твою Твоё Твои Твоих
Genitive Case Моего Моей Моего Моих Твоего Твоей Твоего Твоих
Dative Case Моему Моей Моему Моим Твоему Твоей Твоему Твоим
Instrumental Case Моим Моей Моим Моими Твоим Твоей Твоим Твоими
Prepositional Case Моём Моей Моём Моих Твоём Твоей Твоём Твоих
3rd Person : Always use Его (m.n) (his, its) or Её (f) (her) regardless of the case of the noun modified. Plural possessive pronouns.
1st Person 2nd Person
Masc. Fem. Neut. Plural Masc. Fem. Neut. Plural
English Our Your, Yours
Nominative Case Наш Наша Наше Наши Ваш Ваша Ваше Ваши
Accusative Case (animate) Наш Нашего Нашу Наше Наши Наших Ваш Вашего Вашу Ваше Ваши Ваших
Genitive Case Нашего Нашей Нашего Наших Вашего Вашей Вашего Ваших
Dative Case Нашему Нашей Нашему Нашим Вашему Вашей Вашему Вашим
Instrumental Case Нашим Нашей Нашим Нашими Вашим Вашей Вашим Вашими
Prepositional Case Нашем Нашей Нашем Наших Вашем Вашей Вашем Ваших
3rd Person : Always use Их regardless of the gender and case of the noun modified.

Reflexive possessive pronoun свой

Apart from using possessive pronouns, to express the idea of possession Russians use the reflexive possessive pronoun свой. Depending on the context, it can mean “my”, “your”, “her”, “his” etc. It is used instead of possessive pronouns and refers back to the subject of the sentence. The form depends on the gender and number of the object.
masculine feminine  neuter  plural
Nominative  свой  своя́  своё  свои́
Genitive  своего́  свое́й  своего́  свои́х
Dative  своему́  свое́й  своему́  свои́м
Accusative  своего́  свою́  своего́  свои́х
Instrumental  свои́м  свое́й  свои́м  свои́ми
Prepositional  своём  свое́й  своём  свои́х
EXAMPLES: 
Я потерял свои заметки. – I  lost my notes. Он потерял свои заметки. – He lost his notes. Мы потеряли свои заметки. – We lost our notes. Заметки on monikossa, joten oikea muoto on свои.
Talking about 1st or 2d person, you can use the possessive pronouns, but it is more natural to use свой:
EXAMPLES:
Я люблю свой дом / Я люблю мой дом – I love my home. Вы расскажете о своей поездке? / Вы расскажете о вашей поездке? – Will you tell about your trip?
Talking about 3d person, be sure to choose the right pronoun:
EXAMPLES:
Она продала свою квартиру – reflexive possessive pronoun – She sold her (own) apartment. Она продала её квартиру – possessive pronoun – She sold her (someone else’s) apartment.
Note: When talking about body parts, Russians most often omit possessive pronouns.
EXAMPLES:
Он сломал руку. – He broke his arm. Она открыла глаза – She opened her eyes.

Possessive construction «У меня есть» (I have)

The idea of possession is very often expressed in Russian with the help of the construction “У меня есть (I have)”.
у меня (есть) у тебя (есть) у него (есть) у неё (есть) у него (есть)
I have you have he has she has it has
у нас (есть) у вас, у Вас (есть) у них (есть)
we have you (plural and formal) have they have
Affirmative Preposition у + pronoun in the Genitive case + есть+ noun in the Nominal case. The verb естьcan be omitted.
EXAMPLES: 
У него есть машина. – He has a car. У меня есть брат. – I have a brother. У неё серые глаза. – She has grey eyes.
Negative Preposition у + a pronoun in the Genitive case + нет + noun in the Genitive case.
EXAMPLES: 
У меня нет времени. – I have no time. У нас нет денег. – We have no money. У вас нет компьютера́. – You don’t have a computer.
Interrogative Preposition у + a pronoun in the Genitive case + есть* + noun in the Nominal case. The verbесть can be omitted.
EXAMPLES: 
У тебя есть друзья? – Do you have friends? У них есть билеты? – Do they have tickets?

Possessive Pronouns

Personal Pronouns Possessive pronouns Translation
я мой (Masculine) моя (Feminine) моё (Neuter) мои (Plural) my/mine
ты твой (Masculine) твоя (Feminine) твоё (Neuter) твои (Plural) yours
он его his
она её her/hers
оно его its
мы наш (Masculine) наша (Feminine) наше (Neuter) наши (Plural) our/ours
вы ваш (Masculine) ваша (Feminine) ваше (Neuter) ваши (Plural) your/yours
они их their/theirs
Это ваша квартира.
EXAMPLES: 
Это мой дом (masculine singular). – It is my house. Это ваша квартира (feminine singular). – It is your(plural) apartment.
Personal Pronouns^ & Possessive pronouns! Cases conjugation sheets for nouns, pronouns, adjectives Who, what, whose conjugated^ and a very not detailed explanation of какой and который Rolling Eyes Cases conjugation sheets for nouns, pronouns, adjectives Свой это то^ conjugated, got lazy with the accents ;p Learn Russian In Coimbatore Possessive Pronouns: In order to talk about your family you normally need to use possessive pronouns. You should always choose the possessive pronoun that matches the gender of the item it owns.
  • Мой (m), Моя (f), Моё (n), Мои (pl) – my
  • Твой (m), Твоя (f), Твоё (n), Твои (pl) – your
  • Его (m n) (“yevo”), Её (f) – his, her
  • Наш (m), Наша (f), Наше (n), Наши (pl) – our
  • Ваш (m), Ваша (f), Ваше (n), Ваши (pl) – your
  • Их – their
Now you will be able to combine Russian words and phrases that your learnt in earlier lessons to talk about your family. Here are some Russian phrases and sentences you could say with words you already know.
  • Моя мама любит музыку – My mother loves music
  • Моя сестра читает газету – My sister is reading a newspaper
  • Мой брат любит спорт – My brother loves sport
  • Твой брат любит спорт – Your brother loves sport
  • Наш брат любит спорт – Our brother loves sport
  • Меня зовут Анна – my name is Anna
  • Её зовут Анна – her name is Anna
  • Его зовут Иван – his name is Ivan.
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Russian Classroom-Russian Tenses

Classroom - Russian / By

Russian Lessons

Present and Past Verb Tenses

The endings of the present tense verbs change depending on person and number. In order to find the correct ending for a Russian verb you need to do the following:
1. Determine the verb’s conjugation class. There are only two conjugation classes
Conjugation Class 1 Verbs that have the following suffixes before the infinitive form ending –ть: e (болеть) ова (использовать) ну (толкнуть) а,я  (most of the verbs with a and я suffixes belong to Conjugation class 1) (читать)
Conjugation Class 2 verbs that have the suffix и before the infinitive ending –ть: и ( говорить) а, я (some of the verbs with a suffix belong to Conjugation class 2 if the stress is on the personal ending) (лежать)
2. Add the ending to the stem of the verb:
Conjugation Class 1 Conjugation Class 2
я -ю (-у) -ю (-у)
ты -ешь -ишь
он / она /оно -ет -ит
мы -ем -им
вы, Вы -ете -ите
они -ют (-ут) -ят (-ат)
Conjugation Class 1 Conjugation Class 2
я читаю, использую говорю, лежу
ты читаешь, используешь говоришь, лежишь
он / она /оно читает, использует говорит, лежит
мы читаем, используем говорим, лежим
вы, Вы читаете, используете говорите, лежите
они читают, используют говорят, лежат
To make the past tense, you replace the -ть of the infinitive or the ending of the present tense with -л plus the vowel showing the gender: no vowel for masculine –a for the feminine, –o for the neuter, –и for the plural.
Gender Ending Past form
Masc. -л слушал
Fem -ла слушала
Neut. -ло слушало
Pl. -ли слушали

4. Capital Letters

Russians use capital letters only with proper names and in the beginning of the sentence.
сибирский
японец
Russians do not use capital letters with:
  • Names of months and the days of the week: май (May), четверг (Thursday).
  • Words derived from proper names: сибирский (Siberian), российский (Russian).
  • Words showing nationality: испанец (Spaniard), японец (Japanese person), англичанка(English lady).
  • Titles and forms of address: господин (mister), профессор (professor).
Thus one Russian present tense corresponds to several English present tenses. Compare:
 In Russian  In English
 я читаю  I readI am readingI have been reading

2.

 Verb Conjugation
A Russian verb has six forms in the present tense, one for each of the subject pronouns (1st, 2nd and 3rd persons, singular and plural). By looking at the ending of the verb we can tell the person and the number of the verb. This is called verb conjugation.The Present tense form consists of a verb stem followed by an ending denoting person and number.
Most Russian verbs fall into two groups: first conjugation and second conjugation.First conjugation verbs take the endings -ю(-у ); -ешь; -ет; -ем; -ете and -ют (- ут) in the Present Tense.Second conjugation verbs take the endings -ю (-у); -ишь; -ит; -им; -ите and -ят (-ат) in the Present Tense.Study the formation of the present tense:
                                     1-st conjugation verbs                       2-nd conjugation verbs
 Infinitive  читать to read  гулять to walk  говорить to speak  смотреть to watch  учить to learn (memorize)

 я – I

 ты – you

 он, она – he,she

 мы – we

 вы – you

 они – they

 чита–ю

 чита–ешь

 чита–ет

 чита–ем

 чита–ете

 чита–ют

 гуля–ю

 гуля–ешь

 гуля–ет

 гуля–ем

 гуля–ете

 гуля–ют

 говор-ю

 говор-ишь

 говор-ит

 говор-им

 говор-ите

 говор-ят

 смотр-ю

 смотр-ишь

 смотр-ит

 смотр-им

 смотр-ите

 смотр-ят

 уч-у

 уч-ишь

 уч-ит

 уч-им

 уч-ите

 уч-ат
Notes
  • Conjugations are memorized with pronouns.
  • To form the present tense of first conjugation verbs remove the ending -ть from infinitive and add the appropriate present tense ending.
  • To form the present tense of second  conjugation verbs remove three final letters (и or е and -ть) from infinitive and replace them by the appropriate present tense ending.
  • Never break a spelling rule when adding endings to verbs, i.e. after  к, г, х, ж, ш, щ, ч, ц  write у and а instead of юand я (я учу, они учат).

3.

 First conjugation verbs with stems ending in a consonant
For a few but common first conjugation verbs the stem of the present tense is different from the stem of the infinitive. Such verbs have present tense stems ending in a consonant which is not reflected in the infinitive stem. Memorize two of them for now: жить – to live (infinitive stem: жи-, present tense stem:жив-) and писать – to write (infinitive stem: писа-, present tense stem: пиш-).Study their present tense forms. Note the difference between the infinitive stem and the present tense stem:
Infinitive  жить to live  писать to write

я – I

ты – you

он, она – he,she

мы – we

вы – you

они – they

 жив-у

 жив-ёшь

 жив-ёт

 жив-ём

 жив-ёте

 жив-ут

 пиш-у

 пиш-ешь

 пиш-ет

 пиш-ем

 пиш-ете

 пиш-ут
Notes
  • First conjugation verbs with present tense stems ending in a consonant have the ending -у for я-form and -ут forони-form, instead of expected -ю, -ют. Compare: я читаю, они читают but я живу, они живут.
  • The vowel е is replaced by ё under stress in verb endings (ты читаешь, ты пишешь but ты живёшь)
  • Always learn both the infinitive and the conjugation of each verb.
  • Past tense of all verbs is formed from the infinitive stem: он жил, она жила, оно жило, они жили; он писал, она писала, оно писало, они писали.
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Dutch Coordinating Conjunctions

Classroom - Dutch / By

Dutch Coordinating Conjunctions  

if/when as if except that that although to the extent that now whether because after since als alsof behalve dat dat hoewel inzover(re) dat nu(dat) of omdat na(dat) sinds unless while when (in past) until when before just so that as long as without as far as tenzij terwijl toen tot(dat) wanneer voor(dat) zoals zodat zolang zonder dat zover
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Danish:Verbs Be and Have

Classroom - Danish / By

Danish Language

The Verbs Be and Have in Danish

at være – to be
I am jeg er I was jeg var
you are du er  you were du var
he is han er he was han var
she is hun er she was hun var
it is den er it was den var
it is det er it was det var
one is man er  one was man var
we are vi er we were vi var
you are De er you were De var
they are de er they were de var
at have – to have
I have jeg har I had jeg havde
you have du har you had du havde
he has han har he had han havde
she has hun har she had hun havde
it has den har it had den havde
it has det har it had det havde
one has man har one had man havde
we have vi har we had vi havde
you have De har you had De havde
they have de har they had de havde
Danish Classes To form the future tense of verbs, just add vil before the infinitive. Jeg vil være= I will be; hun vil have = she will have; etc. However, the present tense can often be used with adverbs of time to indicate the future. The word skalcan also be used in place of vil, but this implies a promise rather than a general future condition. To make a sentence negative, simply add ikke after the verb. If there is a modal verb and a main verb (such as vil and an infinitive), ikke goes between these two verbs. In addition, if you answer “yes” to a negative question, you must use jo instead of ja.  ]]>

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