Arbeidende

Arbeidende is the present participle of the Norwegian verb å arbeide (to work). In Bokmål the form is arbeidende; in Nynorsk the corresponding form is arbeidande. The word can function as a verbal adjective describing someone or something that is actively engaged in work or that is in operation, rather than merely having worked in the past. For example, en arbeidende mann (a working man) or arbeidende maskiner (operating machines). It is commonly used in formal or descriptive writing to indicate ongoing activity.

Grammatical use: As an attributive adjective it typically precedes the noun or follows the noun depending on emphasis: den arbeidende befolkningen (the working population). It can also be used predicatively with the verb være, though such use is less frequent in everyday speech: befolkningen er arbeidende would be understood but sounds formal and archaic.

Substantival use: The present participle can be substantivized to refer to people who work, especially in historical or political contexts, as in de arbeidende (the working people). More common terms for this meaning are arbeidstakere or ansatte.

Etymology and related languages: The form comes from the present participle ending -ende attached to the verb arbeide, akin to similar forms in Danish and Swedish, and parallels in Germanic languages. The closely related Norwegian form arbeide is the infinitive; the practice of attributive participles is a feature of Norwegian grammar.