We are going to look at four groups of words to understand how they are related (or not related at all), even if they look similar.
Group 1: vin / vinn
These two words are separated by only one letter (“n” vs. “nn”) but have completely different meanings.
- Vin (noun)
- Meaning: Wine; an alcoholic drink made from fermented grapes.
- Norwegian Example: “Vil du ha et glass rødvin til maten?”
- English Translation: “Would you like a glass of red wine with the food?”
- Vinn (verb, imperative)
- Meaning: The command form of the verb “å vinne” (to win; to be victorious in a competition).
- Norwegian Example: “Vinn denne kampen for oss!”
- English Translation: “Win this match for us!”
Group 2: fart / øy / fartøy
Here we have two simple words and one that looks like it’s made up of the first two.
- Fart (noun)
- Meaning: Speed or velocity.
- Norwegian Example: “Bilen kjørte i høy fart.”
- English Translation: “The car drove at a high speed.”
- Øy (noun)
- Meaning: An island; a piece of land surrounded by water.
- Norwegian Example: “Vi tok båten ut til en ubebodd øy.”
- English Translation: “We took the boat out to an uninhabited island.”
- Fartøy (noun)
- Meaning: A vessel; a mode of transport that moves on water, such as a boat or a ship.
- Norwegian Example: “Et stort fartøy seilte inn i fjorden.”
- English Translation: “A large vessel sailed into the fjord.”
- Note: Although it looks like “fart” (speed) + “øy” (island), “fartøy” is an older word from Low German “fartüg” (where “fart” meant journey/travel and “tüg” meant equipment/thing). So it is not directly related to “øy” (island)!
Group 3: lys / opplyse / ha lyst til
In this group, we see how a core word (“lys”) forms the basis for other words and expressions with related, but different, meanings.
- Lys (noun / adjective)
- Meaning (noun): Light; the opposite of darkness; radiation that allows us to see.
- Norwegian Example (noun): “Kan du skru på lyset?”
- English Translation (noun): “Can you turn on the light?”
- Meaning (adjective): Light (in color); bright.
- Norwegian Example (adjective): “Hun har lyst hår.”
- English Translation (adjective): “She has light hair.”
- Opplyse (verb)
- Meaning: To inform or to enlighten someone (literally “to light up” a topic).
- Norwegian Example: “Læreren kan opplyse elevene om eksamen.”
- English Translation: “The teacher can inform the students about the exam.”
- Ha lyst til (fixed expression / verbal phrase)
- Meaning: To want to do something; to feel like doing something. (Here, “lyst” means a desire or a wish).
- Norwegian Example: “Jeg har lyst til å spise is i dag.”
- English Translation: “I want to (feel like) eating ice cream today.”
Group 4: mat / matematikk / utmattelse
These words happen to share the letter combination “mat”, but they are not related in any way.
- Mat (noun)
- Meaning: Food; sustenance.
- Norwegian Example: “Norsk mat kan være veldig god, spesielt fisk.”
- English Translation: “Norwegian food can be very good, especially fish.”
- Matematikk (noun)
- Meaning: Mathematics; the science of numbers, structure, space, and change; a school subject.
- Norwegian Example: “Jeg synes matematikk er et vanskelig fag.”
- English Translation: “I think mathematics is a difficult subject.”
- Utmattelse (noun)
- Meaning: Exhaustion; a state of being extremely tired; a total lack of energy.
- Norwegian Example: “Han følte en dyp utmattelse etter å ha løpt maraton.”
- English Translation: “He felt a deep exhaustion after running the marathon.”