# Norwegian: forstå, skjønne



## antanasvir

Hello,
I am a beginner in Norsk language. Can anybody explain me the difference between Norsk words: "forstå" and "skjønne"?
Thank You in advance.


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## basslop

They are intechangeable


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## Grefsen

antanasvir said:


> Hello,
> I am a beginner in Norsk language.


Velkommen til det nordiske språkforumet *antanasvir*!  



antanasvir said:


> Can anybody explain *to* me the difference between Norsk words: "forstå" and "skjønne"?
> Thank *y*ou in advance.


This is an excellent question to ask as your very first post in this forum. 



basslop said:


> They are inte*r*changeable


Even though I knew that "skjønne" also meant "understand," I almost always use "forstå."

Along with understand, the translations that tritrans.net gives for "forstå" are comprehend, grasp, realize, and see.


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## antanasvir

Tusen takk


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## Ben Jamin

antanasvir said:


> Hello,
> I am a beginner in Norsk language. Can anybody explain me the difference between Norsk words: "forstå" and "skjønne"?
> Thank You in advance.


 Skjønne is colloquial, while forstå is more formal. You won't find 'skjønne' often in printed matter, but in everyday's speech you will hear 'skjønne' more often than 'forstå'.


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## Tjahzi

Heh, is _förstå_ considered a Swedicism?


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## basslop

It is also "forstå" in Danish, isn't it? And this is related to "verstehen" in German. My guess  is that this came to Norwegian from Dansih and German when we were governed by Denmark.


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## sendintheclowns

But where does the word "skjønne" come from, I wonder? Is it related to the German word "scheinen" (appear)?


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## Tazzler

It must be related to the Icelandic verb "skynja" which means "perceive."


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## Havfruen

From the Old Norse _skyna_, "to have in front of the eyes"


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## Ben Jamin

Tjahzi said:


> Heh, is _förstå_ considered a Swedicism?


 Well, in Norwegian the word is spelled 'forstå', and as such is regarded as a regular Norwegian word. Never heard anything else. 
The Oslo University's online dictionary states: "sen norr _fyrirstanda, forstanda_, fra lty, eg 'stå foran noe for å undersøke det' (late Norrøn _fyrirstanda, forstanda_, from Low German, actually: stand in front of something in order to examine it). 
The word is old enough (I guess 800 years) not to be suspected of coming from Swedish.


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## Tjahzi

I see. I was just curious since I remember there being a similar pair of which one of the forms, which was very similar to the Swedish standard, was considered a Swedicism by some.


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## NorwegianNYC

The two are not interchangeable, but frequently confused. 
*Skjønne* is to understand in the meaning 'to discern' or 'to perceive', whereas *forstå *is to understand in the meaning 'to comprehend'. E.g. the sentence _I understand you are angry with me, but I do not understand what I did wrong_ will take BOTH verbs in Norwegian ("jeg skjønner du er sint på meg, men forstår ikke hva jeg har gjort galt"), because *skjønne* is related to apparent factors, and *forstå* is related underlying factors.
The same difference is found in (e.g. a document)_ I understand what it says, but I do not understand what it means_ ("jeg skjønner hva som står der, men jeg forstår ikke hva det betyr")


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## Ben Jamin

NorwegianNYC said:


> The two are not interchangeable, but frequently confused.
> *Skjønne* is to understand in the meaning 'to discern' or 'to perceive', whereas *forstå *is to understand in the meaning 'to comprehend'. E.g. the sentence _I understand you are angry with me, but I do not understand what I did wrong_ will take BOTH verbs in Norwegian ("jeg skjønner du er sint på meg, men forstår ikke hva jeg har gjort galt"), because *skjønne* is related to apparent factors, and *forstå* is related underlying factors.
> The same difference is found in (e.g. a document)_ I understand what it says, but I do not understand what it means_ ("jeg skjønner hva som står der, men jeg forstår ikke hva det betyr")


 
This nuance is apparently not followed in everyday colloquial speech, and most poeple are not aware of it, just like with 'da' and 'når' or 'ennå/enda', 'lenge/langt', and many other. All that in spite of Per Egil Hegges teachings every day in Aftenposten.


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## Grefsen

Velkommen til det nordiske språkforumet *NorwegianNYC! *



NorwegianNYC said:


> The two are not interchangeable, but frequently confused.
> *Skjønne* is to understand in the meaning 'to discern' or 'to perceive', whereas *forstå *is to understand in the meaning 'to comprehend'. E.g. the sentence _I understand you are angry with me, but I do not understand what I did wrong_ will take BOTH verbs in Norwegian ("jeg skjønner du er sint på meg, men forstår ikke hva jeg har gjort galt"), because *skjønne* is related to apparent factors, and *forstå* is related underlying factors.
> The same difference is found in (e.g. a document)_ I understand what it says, but I do not understand what it means_ ("jeg skjønner hva som står der, men jeg forstår ikke hva det betyr")


Takk for den gode forklaringen!


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