elv
/ɛlʋ/feminine, masculine
The Norwegian word for river is elv. Wiktionary also lists flod and å.
Meaning: large stream which drains a landmass (noun)
Ways to say it
| Norwegian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| elv | /ɛlʋ/ | feminine, masculine |
| flod | /fluːd/ /fluː/ |
masculine |
| å | /oː/ | masculine |
The term refers to a large stream which drains a landmass.
Which one should you use?
Elv is the standard, most common word for a river in modern Norwegian. In contrast, flod is much less common in everyday speech and is often associated with poetic language or large-scale water movements like floods.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Å is a dialectal or archaic term for river and is not used in standard written Bokmål.
How does it change in a sentence?
Elv can be treated as either a masculine or feminine noun. If you use the feminine gender, the definite form is elva. If you use the masculine gender, the definite form is elven and the definite plural form is elvene.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɛlʋ/
Did you know?
- The word elv shares an unexpected ancestry with the word for 'elf' in many Germanic languages, as both derive from the Proto-Indo-European root for 'white' or 'bright'.
Examples in context
- Han drukna i elva.He drowned in the river.This sentence shows how to use the definite form elva.Tatoeba #8427462 by vikvaering, translation #300670 by CK
- Hun svømte over elven.She swam across the river.This sentence demonstrates the use of the masculine definite form elven.Tatoeba #2948954 by eirik174, translation #311316 by CK
- Elva renn ut i fjorden.The river runs into the fjord.This sentence uses the definite form elva.Tatoeba #12651611 by Barend, translation #12651624 by Barend
- Denne elven er utrolig vakker.This river is incredibly beautiful.
- Størrelsen på elven overrasket meg.The size of the river surprised me.
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ingrid and Kristoffer are walking along a hiking trail.
- IngridHør, er det en elv der borte?Listen, is there a river over there?
- KristofferJa, elven er ganske stor.Yes, the river is quite large.
- IngridSkal vi krysse elven her?Shall we cross the river here?
- KristofferDet er bedre å gå lenger oppe.It is better to walk further up.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “river” translations and entries elv, flod, å, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries elv, flod, å, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
