én
In Norwegian, the word for the cardinal number one is én.
The word én is used to represent the number one. In certain contexts, the related forms en, man or ein can serve as an indefinite personal pronoun meaning 'one' or to refer to people in general. Additionally, the forms en or én can be used to signify 'a' or 'an' in Norwegian.
Meaning: cardinal number 1 (num)
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between the number one and the indefinite article. Use en when you mean 'a' or 'an' (the indefinite article), but use én when you want to emphasize the specific number 'one'. For example, en is the indefinite article for masculine nouns, while én is the stressed form used for the number one.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the word depends on the gender of the noun and whether you are emphasizing the number. When counting or emphasizing the number one for neuter nouns, the form changes to ett. For example, you would use én mann (one man) for a masculine noun, but ett eple (one apple) for a neuter noun.
Did you know?
- The form ein is primarily used in Nynorsk, one of Norway's two official written standards. This creates a visual distinction in text between the more urban Bokmål and the more rural Nynorsk.
- In some spoken contexts, saying én can sound quite heavy or dramatic, as if you are emphasizing that there is absolutely nothing else but that single thing.
- The word ein is a common variant of 'one' in many Norwegian dialects, particularly in Western Norway, though it is not the standard form in Oslo.
Examples in context
- Hun har bare én feil.She has only one flaw.This sentence shows how to use the form én to specify a single flaw.Tatoeba #10942670 by Mayk, translation #9379702 by CH
- Én ulykke er én for mye.One accident is too many.This sentence demonstrates the use of én when emphasizing the number of accidents.Tatoeba #11806896 by vebjsand, translation #5744724 by CM
- Kvadratroten av én er én.The square root of one is one.This sentence uses én to express a mathematical fact about the number one.Tatoeba #4991926 by Improbably, translation #4989160 by Hybrid
- Man kan ikke være to steder samtidigOne cannot be in two places at the same time
- Jeg har mer tid enn degI have more time than you
- Én øl til, takkOne more beer, please
- Én ting tilOne more thing
- En jente kommerOne girl is coming
- Én idé er nokOne idea is enough
- en bokA book
- én appelsinAn orange
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ingrid and Magnus are ordering coffee at a cafe.
- IngridVil du ha en kaffe, Magnus?Do you want a coffee, Magnus?
- MagnusJa, jeg vil ha én kaffe, takk.Yes, I want one coffee, please.
- IngridBare én? Jeg bestiller to.Only one? I am ordering two.
- MagnusDet holder med én for meg.One is enough for me.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry én, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
