The Family in Norwegian | En Familie | Min Familie | Learn Norwegian A1-A2

Family is a cornerstone of any society, and understanding family-related terms and phrases is essential for anyone learning a new language. The Norwegian language is no exception. If you’re interested in learning Norwegian, a good starting point is getting acquainted with family vocabulary. This article will give you an overview of essential terms and phrases that you can use to talk about the family (“familie” in Norwegian).

Basic Terms

• a family: en familie
• a mother: ei mor
• a father: en far
• a sister: ei søster
• a brother: en bror
• a daughter: ei datter
• a son: en sønn
• a grandmother: ei bestemor
• a grandfather: en bestefar
• an aunt: ei tante
• an uncle: en onkel
• a niece: ei niese
• a nephew: en nevø
• a cousin (male): en fetter
• a cousin (female): ei kusine

Possessive Phrases

When you want to talk about your own family, you can use possessive pronouns along with the family terms. Here are some examples:

• my family: min familie
• my mother: min mor
• my father: min far
• my sister: min søster
• my brother: min bror

You can also specify whose family or family member you are talking about by using other possessive pronouns, such as “din” (your, singular), “hans” (his), “hennes” (her), “vår” (our), “deres” (your, plural/their).

Example:

• hans søster (his sister)
• hennes bror (her brother)

Plurals

The plural forms of family-related nouns in Norwegian typically add -er, -r, or -e to the base noun. For example:

• mothers: mødre
• fathers: fedre
• sisters: søstre
• brothers: brødre

Common Phrases and Questions

When you’re conversing in Norwegian, you may find the following phrases and questions useful:

• Hvor mange er det i families din? (How many are there in your family?)
• Har du søsken? (Do you have siblings?)
• Hva arbeider din far med? (What does your father work with?)
• Hvor mange barn har du? (How many children do you have?)
• Er din bestemor fortsatt i live? (Is your grandmother still alive?)

Usage in Sentences

Here are some example sentences to help you understand how these terms and phrases are used:

• Jeg har en stor familie. (I have a big family.)
• Min mor er lærer. (My mother is a teacher.)
• Min far og bror er i Norge. (My father and brother are in Norway.)
• Våre besteforeldre bor i Oslo. (Our grandparents live in Oslo.)
• Hennes tante og onkel besøkte oss i går. (Her aunt and uncle visited us yesterday.)

Learning to talk about family in Norwegian is essential for personal interactions and helpful for understanding Norwegian culture and society. Practice makes perfect, so don’t hesitate to use these terms in conversation in Norwegian!