Learn about augmentatives in Norwegian
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Intro |
|---|
| Michael: What are augmentatives and how are they formed in Norwegian? |
| Anette: And are they commonly used? |
| Michael: At NorwegianClass101.com, we hear these questions often. In the following situation, Ben Lee, a college student, wants to share his excitement about the success of a group project with his friend. He says, "It's a success!" |
| Ben: Dette er en suksess! |
| Dialogue |
| Ben: Dette er en suksess! |
| Silje: Det er en kjempesuksess! |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Ben: Dette er en suksess! |
| Michael: "It's a success!" |
| Silje: Det er en kjempesuksess! |
| Michael: "A great success!" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: Did you notice how Ben's friend changes the word |
| Anette: suksess |
| Michael: to |
| Anette: kjempesuksess? |
| Michael: She attaches the prefix |
| Anette: kjempe- |
| Michael: to the word to create what we call an "augmentative." In grammar, an augmentative is a form of word that expresses greater intensity. In English, for instance, we often attach the word "grand" or "super" to a noun to emphasize that the object we are describing is of great importance. |
| [Recall] |
| Michael: Let's take a closer look at the dialogue. Do you remember how Ben's friend says, "A great success?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Anette as Silje: Det er en kjempesuksess! |
| Michael: Here, she attaches the prefix |
| Anette: kjempe- |
| Michael: which is a colloquial that equates to the English word "super" or "huge." In that case, the expression |
| Anette: kjempesuksess |
| Michael: could also mean "a huge success," or more informally, "super successful." Another example would be |
| Anette: kjempeflink |
| Michael: The root word here is |
| Anette: flink |
| Michael: which means "good" or "clever." With the presence of the prefix, we now have "very good" or "really clever," as in |
| Anette: Han er kjempeflink |
| Michael: "He is very good." |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: So far, we have learned that the augmentatives are expressive words that emphasize size or importance. In Norwegian, one of the most common prefixes used to form augmentatives is |
| Anette: kjempe- |
| Michael: a prefix that equates to the English word "great," or more informally, "super." In many cases, it also equates to the word "very," despite Norwegian having a go-to word for it, which is |
| Anette: veldig |
| Michael: That said, let's show you a few more uses of the augmentative in question. First, we have the word |
| Anette: kjempesøt |
| Michael: This means "very cute" or "very sweet," such as in |
| Anette: Den kjolen er kjempesøt! |
| Michael: "That dress is super cute!" Another one would be |
| Anette: kjempedårlig |
| Michael: or "really bad," such as when you say |
| Anette: Jeg har en kjempedårlig dag. |
| Michael: "I'm having a really bad day." Finally, there's the word |
| Anette: kjempefin |
| Michael: which could mean "super nice" or "awesome." |
| Anette: Det er en kjempefin bil! |
| Michael: "It's an awesome car!" |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review the sentences we've heard in this lesson. I'll say the sentence in English, and then I want you to try and reply in Norwegian. Anette will then model the correct answer—listen to her carefully and repeat, with emphasis on your pronunciation. |
| Do you remember how to say "It's a success?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Anette: Dette er en suksess! |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Anette: Dette er en suksess! |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Anette: Dette er en suksess! |
| Michael: And do you remember how to say "A great success?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Anette: Det er en kjempesuksess! |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Anette: Det er en kjempesuksess! |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Anette: Det er en kjempesuksess! |
| Cultural Expansion |
| Michael: So far, we've focused on the word |
| Anette: kjempe |
| Michael: in this lesson. Most of the augmentatives you can form with this prefix are more on the positive side of the spectrum, such as those that describe "goodness" or "awesomeness." But you could also use it to describe something negative, like |
| Anette: kjempesyk |
| Michael: which means "really sick." |
| Another word you could use is |
| Anette: svært |
| Michael: This word literally means "huge," and it can be translated to "very," "extremely," etc. It is often used in more formal settings than kjempe-. You can often hear reporters or politicians use this word, or when someone is describing a health condition. One example of the latter is |
| Anette: svært nedsatt |
| Michael: or "severely reduced." One could, for example, say |
| Anette: svært nedsatt leverfunksjon |
| Michael: which means "Severe hepatic impairment," another term for acute liver failure. Another example of the use of this word would be |
| Anette: svært fornøyd med resultatet |
| Michael: or "very pleased with the results" |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Anette: Ha det! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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