sommerfugl
masculine
The English word butterfly is translated into Norwegian as sommerfugl. It is also spelled sommarfugl or fivrelde. Wiktionary also lists fivreld and fryvil.
Meaning: insect (noun)
Ways to say it
| Norwegian | Note |
|---|---|
| sommerfugl | masculine |
| fivreld | masculine, neuter |
| fryvil | masculine |
| sommarfugl | masculine, alternative form |
| sumarfugl | masculine |
| fivrelde | neuter, alternative form |
| marihøne | dialectal, feminine |
The word refers to the insect.
Which one should you use?
While sommerfugl is the standard form, sumarfugl is an alternative spelling. Sommarfugl is also an alternative spelling of sumarfugl. The word fivreld is a noun that can be either masculine or neuter, and its alternative spelling is fivrelde. The word fryvil is a masculine noun.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Marihøne is a dialectal feminine noun.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine noun sommerfugl becomes sommerfuglen when you want to specify 'the butterfly' by adding the suffix '-en'. To form the plural 'butterflies', use sommerfugler.
Did you know?
- The standard Norwegian word sommerfugl literally translates to 'summer bird'.
- The Norwegian word sommerfugl has a linguistic relative in Yiddish called zumer-feygele.
- The word marihøne is listed as a dialectal form for a butterfly, but in standard Norwegian, it actually refers to a 'ladybug'.
Examples in context
- En larve blir til en sommerfugl.A caterpillar becomes a butterfly.This sentence demonstrates the process of a caterpillar becoming a sommerfugl.Tatoeba #14047479 by Mayk, translation #5201409 by AlanF_US
- Han så en sommerfugl på veggen.He saw a butterfly on the wall.This sentence describes seeing a sommerfugl on a wall.Tatoeba #501828 by testdog, translation #501837 by testdog
- Sommerfugl er et veldig vakkert ord.Butterfly is a very nice word.This sentence highlights that sommerfugl is a beautiful word.Tatoeba #1442735 by al_ex_an_der, translation #1075402 by Ederra
- Nymphalidae-familien omfatter mange unike sommerfuglarter.The Nymphalidae family consists of many unique butterfly species.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Magnus and Sofie are walking in a garden.
- MagnusSe på den fine sommerfugl der!Look at that beautiful butterfly there!
- SofieOi, den er kjempesøt.Oh, it is very cute.
- MagnusJeg lurer på hvilken sommerfugl det er.I wonder which butterfly it is.
- SofieDet vet jeg ikke, Magnus.I don't know, Magnus.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “butterfly” translations and entries sommerfugl, sommarfugl, sumarfugl, fivrelde, marihøne, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fivreld, sommerfugl, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
