gris
masculine
The Norwegian word for pig is gris. Wiktionary also lists svin.
Meaning: mammal of family Suidae (noun)
Ways to say it
| Norwegian | Note |
|---|---|
| gris | masculine |
| svin | neuter |
The word refers to the mammal of the family Suidae.
Which one should you use?
While svin is a neuter form used for the animal, the masculine form gris is the most common way to refer to the animal in everyday speech.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'the pig', add the suffix -en to the masculine form to get grisen. The plural indefinite form is griser, and the plural definite form is grisene.
Did you know?
- The word gris is used in the Norwegian term grisebillig, which literally translates to 'pig-cheap' to describe something that is incredibly inexpensive.
- The term grise can be used as a prefix in Norwegian to mean 'extremely' or 'very' in a colloquial way, such as in griselei, meaning to be completely fed up.
- The English word 'swine' is a direct linguistic relative of the Norwegian svin, both descending from the same Proto-Indo-European root.
Examples in context
- Kva er ein gris?What is a pig?This sentence is useful for asking for a definition of the word gris.Tatoeba #12492624 by Just_Some_Guy, translation #12492098 by Tom9358
- Han eig ein gris.He owns a pig.This sentence is useful for describing ownership of a gris.Tatoeba #12492625 by Just_Some_Guy, translation #12492094 by Tom9358
- Han har ein gris.He has a pig.This sentence is useful for stating that someone has a gris.Tatoeba #12492626 by Just_Some_Guy, translation #12492093 by Tom9358
- Dyrene på bondegården inkluderer kuer, sauer og griser.The animals on the farm include cows, sheep, and pigs.
- Se på den søte lille grisungen!Look at the cute little piglet!
- Han spiste som et svin!He ate like a pig!
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Jakob and Sofie are looking at a picture book at a farm.
- JakobSer du den vesle grisen?Do you see the little pig?
- SofieJa, den grisen er veldig søt.Yes, that pig is very cute.
- JakobHan er ganske liten.He is quite small.
- SofieStemmer, den vesle grisen er søt.True, the little pig is cute.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pig” translations and entries gris, svin, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gris, svin, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
