bil
/biːl/masculine
The Norwegian word for car is bil.
bil is a masculine noun used to refer to an automobile, a vehicle steered by a driver.
Meaning: automobile, a vehicle steered by a driver (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In certain parts of Norway, such as parts of Oslo, you may hear the informal word kjerra used to refer to a car.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the definite form 'the car', add the suffix -en to form bilen. To form the plural 'cars', use biler. If you want to say 'the cars', use the definite plural form bilene.
How do you pronounce it?
/biːl/
Did you know?
- The word bil was actually the result of a linguistic competition held by a Danish newspaper to find a shorter alternative to 'automobil'.
- Norwegians use the word bil in compound nouns to describe things like 'car-wash' or 'car-park', often creating long words that English separates.
Examples in context
- Me har ein bil.We have a car.This sentence is useful for stating possession of a bil.Tatoeba #12669549 by Barend, translation #3486654 by Ricardo14
- Kjøpte du ny bil?Did you buy a new car?This sentence is useful for asking if someone bought a new bil.Tatoeba #2875620 by eirik174, translation #1886162 by CK
- Er dette din bil?Is this your car?This sentence is useful for asking if a bil belongs to someone.Tatoeba #2879726 by eirik174, translation #55937 by TRANG
- Kan du parkere bilen for meg?Can you park the car for me?
- Jeg trenger hjelp til å vaske kjerra mi i dag.I need help washing my car today.
- 160 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Jakob and Emma are planning a trip.
- JakobHar du sett min bil?Have you seen my car?
- EmmaNei, jeg har ikke sett den.No, I haven't seen it.
- JakobVi må bruke bilen for å dra.We must use the car to go.
- EmmaJeg skal lete etter den til deg.I will look for it for you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “car” translations and entries bil, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bil, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
