Do you know that Norwegian words also consist of components like prefixes and suffixes, and knowing them can help in learning Norwegian a lot?
Popular prefixes
Prefix u – means not:
- hell (lucky)-uhell (misfortune)
- lykkelig (happy) – ulykkelig (unhappy)
- trygg (safe) – utrygg (insecure)
- lik (similar,) – ulik (different)
- villig (willing) -uvillig (unwilling)
- mulig (possible) – umulig (impossible)
- venn (friend) – uvenn (stranger)
Prefix mis- indicates something unpleasant, reprehensible:
- bruk (use) – misbruk (misuse, abuse)
- tillit (trust) – mistillit (distrust)
Prefix for – often produce a meaning of exaggeration:
- hindre (prevent) – forhindre (prevent)
- elske (love) – forelske (love)
- spise (eat) – forspise (devour)
- bitre (bitter) – forbitre (bitter)
- mørke (dark) – formørke
- bedre – forbedre (improve)
Prefix an – , be – can give a verb a more or less clear meaning:
- klage (complain) – anklage (complain)
- vise (show) – anvise (direct)
- smitte (infect) – besmitte (contaminate)
- fri (free) – befri (liberate)
- rolig (calm) – berolig (calm down)
Popular suffixes
Suffix – het means
- fri (free) – frihet (freedom)
- god – godhet (goodness)
- beklemt (distressed) – beklemthet (distress)
- uvitenhet (ignorance)
Suffixes -bar means able to …:
- forny (renew) – fornybar (renewable)
- lese (read) – lesbar (readable)
- lås (lock) – låsbar (lockable)
- merk (notice) – merkbar (noticable)
Suffix -ing, -ning denote the action or state expressed by the corresponding verb. However, -ning is more usually used for those that have specialized or concretized meaning. Meanwhile, the -ing suffix preserve the connection with the original verb and its guises.
- diktning (poetry)
- forskning (research)
- avledning (derivation)
- ridning (riding)
- rømning (escape)
- overvåkning (survelliance)
- visning (display)
- avsetning (deposition)
- drukning (drowning)
- nyskapning (innovation)
- rensning (purification)
- holdning (attittude) – holding (holding)
versus
- sykling (cycling)
- kåring (rating)
- fengsling (confinement)
- roing (rowing)
- betaling (payment)
- blanding (mixture)
- dekorering (decoration)
Also, in the following case, we only use -ing:
- The verb setm ends in -n, -nn, -nd: mening (meaning), tyning (thinning), utlåning (lending), åpning (opening), banning (cursing), tenning (lighting), nynning (humming), sending (sending)
- The verb stem ends in -l, -ll, -ld: deling (deviding), filing (filing), hangling (hanging), rangling (wrangling), medling (message), smelling (slamming). Exception: kvelning (choking)
- The verb stem ends in r, rr: erfaring (experience), gjæring (fermentation), muring (walling), formering (multiplication), fortæring (consumption), bedring (improvement), utformdring (challenge), purring (nagging)
Suffix -nad:
- søknad (application)
- skilnad (divorce)
- kostnat (cost)
- merknad (note)
Suffix -eri usually forms business-denoting nouns:
- fiskeri (fishery)
- raseri (fury)
Reference:
Norske ord i hus og hytte – Finn Erik Vinjie
