Ways to say it
| Norwegian | Note |
|---|---|
| snø | masculine |
| sne | masculine |
The word refers to the crystalline state of water falling from the atmosphere, the act of it falling or the accumulation of snow as a white layer on the ground. You can use the compound noun snøfall to refer specifically to the phenomenon of snowfall, or snøskavl to describe a snowdrift.
Which one should you use?
snø is the standard form used in speech, whereas sne is a more formal or literary variant often found in older texts or specific written contexts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In urban areas, the term brøytesnø is used specifically to refer to snow that has been plowed aside to clear the roads.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb meaning 'to snow' is snø or snøe. This verb is irregular: its present tense form is snør and its past tense form is snødde. The noun forms snø and sne are both masculine.
Did you know?
- While snø is the everyday term, the form sne is a literary variant borrowed from Danish.
- The English word 'snow' and the Norwegian word snø are essentially cousins, both descending from the same ancient Proto-Indo-European roots.
- The word snø is categorized as a masculine noun in Norwegian grammar.
Examples in context
- Det begynte å snø.It was beginning to snow.This sentence is useful for describing the beginning of a weather event using snø.Tatoeba #14048318 by Mayk, translation #272546 by CK
- Regnet gikk over til snø.The rain changed into snow.This sentence is useful for describing a change in weather from rain to snø.Tatoeba #2918084 by eirik174, translation #26696 by CK
- Vi har mindre snø enn vanlig.We have less snow than usual.This sentence is useful for comparing amounts of snø.Tatoeba #6160707 by giiraffen, translation #243185 by sundown
- Det snør i dag.It's snowing today.
- Jeg ser snøen dekke landskapet.I see the snow covering the landscape.
- Pass på å ikke tråkke i den våte sørpen.Be careful not to step in the wet slush.
- Vi er heldige at brøytesnøen gjør veiene tryggere å kjøre på.We're fortunate that the plowed snow makes the roads safer to drive on.
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kristoffer and Ingrid are looking out the window at the winter landscape.
- KristofferSe hvor mye snø det er ute!Look how much snow there is outside!
- IngridJa, det er vakkert, Kristoffer.Yes, it is beautiful, Kristoffer.
- KristofferMen vi må rydde den bort.But we must clear it away.
- IngridJeg tar spaden, så kan du rydde.I will take the shovel, so you can clear it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “snow” translations and entries snø, sne, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sne, snø, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
