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Here's your weekly exclusive "behind-the-scenes" vocabulary video, this time looking at the word (or suffix) that means "the" in Old Norse. The regular lesson on this subject, which will be posted on Youtube next week, is available to Patreon supporters early here.

It's been hot and hot here in the Rocky Mountain states, and there's so much smoke from the annual fires that our vaunted mountain views are suffering. In Boulder, which normally looks like this (and is under an hour away from this) you'd never know the mountains were there at all. It reminds me of living in Los Angeles, knowing that there were huge mountains behind the city but seeing them maybe twice a year when an ocean breeze briefly blew the smog off. However, it's also not the worst smoke I've ever seen.

I hope that all is well where you are, and, as always, I'm thankful for your continued support. All the best for now,

Jackson Crawford

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Patreon Vocabulary 33: "The" in Old Norse

Comments

Anonymous

Very interesting! I've been doing private tutoring in Norwegian for about ten years - and the topic of "den varme dagen", "det store huset" etc., is interesting as a double definite "the varm the day" construct. I've assumed it's a heritage from Old Norse or a mix with Old English from a thousand years ago. Looking forward to lesson12!

Oliver

What do you do if you want to use the article with an adjective only? Inn heimski kemr - The stupid one is coming?

Anonymous

In spoken colloquial Norwegian, does the "det/det" part of those phrases ever get left out? (Like in French "ne" often gets left out in negative phrases)

Anonymous

Hi David! I cant' think of any circumstance where specific form with adjective can be without den/det/de in front. In unspecific yes; "varme dager", "store hus" (that is the standard grammar) - but just "store huset", "varme dagen"... it could pass in very free poetry, that's the only context I think (but still wrong grammar :)).

norsebysw

You do see the doublet in Old Norse sometimes, in fact sometimes you see the noun specified three times: þat it góða skipit "that the good ship-the."

norsebysw

Yes, exactly--you just use the (separated) article and the appropriate gender and number of the adjective.