Felles

Felles is a Norwegian adjective meaning “shared” or “common.” It describes things, actions, or responsibilities that belong to or are used by more than one person or group. The term is widely used in everyday language as well as in formal contexts to express collective action, ownership, or arrangement.

Common usages include felles ansvar (shared responsibility), felles eie or felles eierskap (joint ownership), and fellesareal or fellesområde (areas in a building that are used by all residents). The prefix felles is also attached to other nouns to denote joint arrangements, such as fellesordning (joint arrangement) or felles løsning (shared solution). In housing, municipal planning, and public administration, felles- compounds help describe resources or responsibilities that are managed collectively.

The word is cognate with Danish fælles, and in Norwegian it is closely related to the concept of fellesskap (the community). Across the Nordic languages, the root conveys belonging to a group or common use, reflecting a cultural emphasis on collaboration and shared responsibilities.

In usage, felles often functions as a modifier in compound nouns and can appear in both formal and everyday speech. It can also be used as a predicate adjective in phrases like “Det er felles ansvar” (That is a shared responsibility). While frequently seen in policy and planning texts, it remains a flexible term in ordinary dialogue to describe anything intended for the benefit or use of multiple people.