bestefar
masculine
The Norwegian word for grandfather is bestefar. Wiktionary also lists morfar and farfar.
Meaning: grandfather (from either side) (noun)
Ways to say it
| Norwegian | Note |
|---|---|
| bestefar | masculine |
| morfar | masculine |
| farfar | masculine |
In Norwegian, you can use a general term for a grandfather or more specific terms to identify which side of the family he belongs to.
Which one should you use?
bestefar is the general term for grandfather. To be specific, use morfar to refer to your maternal grandfather (your mother's father) and farfar to refer to your paternal grandfather (your father's father).
How does it change in a sentence?
All three forms are masculine nouns.
Did you know?
- The term bestefar is an example of how Dutch influenced the Scandinavian languages, diverging from the Old Norse roots found in morfar.
- The word morfar is a direct descendant of the Old Norse móðurfaðir, meaning 'mother's father'.
- The term farfar is a compound word where the word far is repeated twice.
Examples in context
- Bestefar min er gamal.My grandfather is old.This sentence is useful for describing an attribute of bestefar.Tatoeba #13210904 by Just_Some_Guy, translation #13210292 by frpzzd
- Bestefar min spela koto.My grandfather played the koto.This sentence is useful for showing a past action related to bestefar.Tatoeba #12485191 by Just_Some_Guy, translation #12483393 by cost_
- Tom sin morfar var russisk.Tom's maternal grandfather was Russian.This sentence is useful for describing an attribute of morfar.Tatoeba #12467247 by Just_Some_Guy, translation #12467126 by Ergulis
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Magnus and Nora are looking at an old family photo.
- MagnusHvem er mannen på dette bildet?Who is the man in this picture?
- NoraDet er min bestefar.That is my grandfather.
- MagnusHan ser veldig snill ut.He looks very kind.
- NoraJa, bestefar var alltid veldig glad.Yes, grandfather was always very happy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grandfather” translations and entries bestefar, morfar, farfar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bestefar, farfar, morfar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
