24 confusing Norwegian pairs of words

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1. etter vs. etterpå

• etter = after
  • Eksempel: “Vi skal spise etter møtet.”
    (We’ll eat after the meeting.)
• etterpå = afterwards
  • Eksempel: “Vi snakker etterpå.”
    (We’ll talk afterwards.)

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2. hjem vs. hjemme

• hjem = (to) home (motion)
  • Eksempel: “Jeg går hjem nå.”
    (I’m going home now.)
• hjemme = at home (location)
  • Eksempel: “Jeg er hjemme.”
    (I am at home.)

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3. ingen vs. ingenting

• ingen = no one/nobody (refers to people)
  • Eksempel: “Ingen vet svaret.”
    (No one knows the answer.)
• ingenting = nothing (refers to things or ideas)
  • Eksempel: “Det er ingenting her.”
    (There’s nothing here.)

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4. får vs. for

• får = gets/receives
  • Eksempel: “Hun får en gave.”
    (She gets a gift.)
• for = for (preposition or cause)
  • Eksempel: “Dette er for deg.”
    (This is for you.)

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5. godt vs. galt

• godt = good/well
  • Eksempel: “Han gjorde det godt.”
    (He did it well.)
• galt = wrong
  • Eksempel: “Noe er galt.”
    (Something is wrong.)

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6. sitt vs. sitte

• sitt = his/her/their (neutral possessive form)
  • Eksempel: “Barnet tok sitt leketøy.”
    (The child took its toy.)
• sitte = to sit
  • Eksempel: “Du må sitte stille.”
    (You have to sit still.)

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7. når vs. når

• når = when (question or conjunction)
  • Eksempel: “Når kommer bussen?”
    (When does the bus arrive?)
• når = reaches/arrives at
  • Eksempel: “Bussen når Oslo klokka åtte.”
    (The bus reaches Oslo at eight.)

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8. det vs. den

• det = it (neutral singular)
  • Eksempel: “Det er en fin dag.”
    (It is a nice day.)
• den = it (common singular)
  • Eksempel: “Den boka er min.”
    (That book is mine.)

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9. Mønster vs. Monster

– Mønster

• Meaning: Pattern (design, structure, or recurring form).
• Eksempel:
  • “Dette teppet har et fint mønster.”
    (This carpet has a nice pattern.)
  • “Han følger alltid det samme mønsteret.”
    (He always follows the same pattern.)

– Monster

• Meaning: Monster (a scary or mythical creature).
• Eksempel:
  • “Barnet var redd for monsteret under senga.”
    (The child was afraid of the monster under the bed.)
  • “Filmen hadde et fryktelig monster.”
    (The movie had a terrifying monster.)

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10. eller vs. ellers

• eller = or
  • Eksempel: “Vil du ha kaffe eller te?”
    (Do you want coffee or tea?)
• ellers = otherwise/else
  • Eksempel: “Skynd deg, ellers blir vi for sene!”
    (Hurry, otherwise we’ll be too late!)

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11. man vs. mann

• man = one/you (impersonal pronoun)
  • Eksempel: “Man må gjøre sitt beste.”
    (One must do their best.)
• mann = man/husband
  • Eksempel: “Mannen min jobber på sykehuset.”
    (My husband works at the hospital.)

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12. vært vs. vert

• vært = been (past participle of å være)
  • Eksempel: “Jeg har vært i Norge før.”
    (I have been to Norway before.)
• vert = host
  • Eksempel: “Han var vert for festen.”
    (He was the host of the party.)

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13. ligger vs. legger

• ligger = lies/is lying (static position)
  • Eksempel: “Boka ligger på bordet.”
    (The book is lying on the table.)
• legger = lays/is laying (motion)
  • Eksempel: “Jeg legger boka på bordet.”
    (I am laying the book on the table.)

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14. lenge vs. lang

• lenge = a long time
  • Eksempel: “Vi har ventet lenge.”
    (We’ve waited for a long time.)
• lang = long (distance or length)
  • Eksempel: “Det er en lang vei å gå.”
    (It’s a long way to walk.)

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15. rett vs. rettet

• rett = right (correct or direction)
  • Eksempel: “Du har rett.”
    (You are correct.)
  • Eksempel: “Gå rett frem.”
    (Go straight ahead.)
• rettet = corrected/aimed
  • Eksempel: “Hun rettet feilen.”
    (She corrected the mistake.)

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16. få vs. fått

• få = get/receive (present tense)
  • Eksempel: “Kan jeg få litt kaffe?”
    (Can I get some coffee?)
• fått = got/received (past participle)
  • Eksempel: “Jeg har fått en gave.”
    (I have received a gift.)

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17. stille vs. stiller

• stille = quiet/silent
  • Eksempel: “Det var stille i rommet.”
    (It was quiet in the room.)
• stiller = sets/asks/positions (verb form)
  • Eksempel: “Han stiller mange spørsmål.”
    (He asks many questions.)

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18. Kun, kan, and kunne

– Kun

• Meaning: Only
• Eksempel:
  • “Jeg har kun én bok.”
    (I only have one book.)
  • “Det er kun for voksne.”
    (It’s only for adults.)

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– Kan

• Meaning: Can (present tense, ability or permission)
• Eksempel:
  • “Jeg kan svømme.”
    (I can swim.)
  • “Kan jeg få låne boka di?”
    (Can I borrow your book?)

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– Kunne

• Meaning: Could (past tense or conditional of kan)
• Eksempel:
  • “Jeg kunne ikke komme i går.”
    (I couldn’t come yesterday.)
  • “Hvis jeg hadde penger, kunne jeg reist.”
    (If I had money, I could travel.)

Quick Comparison:

• Kun = restriction (only).
• Kan = present ability or permission (can).
• Kunne = past or conditional ability (could).

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19. Svart vs. Svært

Svart

• Meaning: Black (color)
• Eksempel:
  • “Himmelen er helt svart i kveld.”
    (The sky is completely black tonight.)
  • “Han har en svart jakke.”
    (He has a black jacket.)

Svært

• Meaning: Very/extremely (adverb) OR large/significant (adjective)
• Eksempel (adverb):
  • “Jeg er svært fornøyd.”
    (I am very satisfied.)
• Eksempel (adjective):
  • “Det var en svært viktig avgjørelse.”
    (It was a very important decision.)

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20. Endre vs. Ende

Endre

• Meaning: To change/modify (verb)
• Eksempel:
  • “Vi må endre planen.”
    (We need to change the plan.)
  • “Kan du endre teksten for meg?”
    (Can you change the text for me?)

Ende

• Meaning: End (noun or verb, meaning to end/terminate)
• Eksempel (noun):
  • “Dette er slutten på historien, en lykkelig ende.”
    (This is the end of the story, a happy ending.)
• Eksempel (verb):
  • “Filmen ender med et mysterium.”
    (The movie ends with a mystery.)

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21. Slik vs. Slike

• Slik = such/like this (refers to something specific, singular or abstract).
  • Eksempel: “Dette er en slik bok jeg har lett etter.”
    (This is such a book I’ve been looking for.)
• Slike = such/like these (refers to something plural).
  • Eksempel: “Jeg har aldri sett slike bilder før.”
    (I’ve never seen such pictures before.)

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22. Ta vs. Tatt

• Ta = to take (present tense or infinitive).
  • Eksempel: “Kan du ta denne?”
    (Can you take this one?)
• Tatt = taken (past participle of ta).
  • Eksempel: “Han har tatt boken.”
    (He has taken the book.)

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23. Komme vs. Kom

• Komme = to come (infinitive or future tense).
  • Eksempel: “Jeg skal komme i morgen.”
    (I will come tomorrow.)
• Kom = came (past tense of komme).
  • Eksempel: “Han kom sent til møtet.”
    (He came late to the meeting.)

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24. Mange vs. Mye

• Mange = many (used with countable nouns, plural).
  • Eksempel: “Det er mange mennesker her.”
    (There are many people here.)
• Mye = much (used with uncountable nouns, singular).
  • Eksempel: “Jeg har mye arbeid å gjøre.”
    (I have much work to do.)

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