svart
/sʋɑʈ/
The English word 'black' is translated into Norwegian as svart or sort.
Meaning: absorbing all light (adj)
Ways to say it
| Norwegian | IPA |
|---|---|
| svart | /sʋɑʈ/ |
| sort | /suʈ/ |
Both svart and sort are used to describe the color black, meaning an object that absorbs all light. They can also function as nouns to refer to the color itself. Additionally, svart can be used as a noun to refer to a dark-skinned person.
Which one should you use?
While svart and sort are synonyms, svart is the more common form in spoken Norwegian. Sort is often perceived as being more literary or formal.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as an adjective before a noun, the form of svart changes depending on the gender and number of the noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/sʋɑʈ/
Did you know?
- In Norwegian, the word sort can mean 'type' or 'kind' because it was borrowed from the French word sorte, even though it looks identical to the word for the color black.
- The Norwegian idiom å se svart på ting literally means 'to see black on things' and is used to describe someone who is feeling pessimistic.
- The word sort used to be the older, dominant form of the word for 'black' in Norway before it was largely replaced by the Nynorsk-influenced svart in many contexts.
Examples in context
- Drikk du svart te?Do you drink black tea?This sentence is useful for asking about preferences for svart tea.Tatoeba #12467395 by Just_Some_Guy, translation #12466727 by sundown
- Hesten min er svart.My horse is black.This sentence is useful for describing a horse as svart.Tatoeba #8143256 by vikvaering, translation #2703249 by catcher
- Hvilken hund er svart?Which dog is black?This sentence is useful for asking which dog is svart.Tatoeba #10941132 by Mayk, translation #5316882 by Adelpa
- Jakken min er svart.My jacket is black.
- Bilen hennes er svart.Her car is black.
- Vi kjøpte svarte stoler til spisestuen.We bought black chairs for the dining room.
- 37 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Kristoffer are looking at a piece of clothing in a shop.
- EmmaEr denne kjolen svart?Is this dress black?
- KristofferJa, den er helt svart.Yes, it is completely black.
- EmmaDen ser veldig fin ut.It looks very nice.
- KristofferDen passer deg veldig godt.It suits you very well.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “black” translations and entries svart, sort, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sort, svart, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
