Væsentlige

Væsentlige is a Norwegian adjective meaning essential, significant, or substantial. It describes something of central importance or substance within a topic, decision, or analysis.

The term is widely used in formal writing, policy discussions, and academic contexts, but it also appears in everyday speech when someone wants to stress importance. It can modify nouns in attributive position, as in væsentlige faktorer, væsentlige forskjeller, or other elements that are regarded as crucial to understanding a situation. Predicative use exists in fixed expressions and contexts such as av vesentlig betydning or har væsentlig/vesentlig betydning, where the emphasis is on the important nature of something.

Common collocations include væsentlige faktorer (key factors), væsentlige forskjeller (significant differences), and andre væsentlige aspekter (other essential aspects). The phrase har vesentlig betydning or er av vesentlig betydning is frequently used to denote considerable importance in assessments, analyses, and recommendations. In Norwegian, væsentlige is often preferred in more formal or technical language, while synonyms like viktig or betydningsfull may be used for less formal contexts.

Nuance and usage notes: væsentlige emphasizes centrality and substance beyond mere relevance or priority. It signals that the matter at hand affects outcomes, conclusions, or understandings in a fundamental way. Related terms include vesentlig and betydningsfull, which share similar meanings but with slight nuance differences depending on context and register. As with many adjectives in Norwegian, the form adapts to number and definiteness, with væsentlige commonly appearing in plural contexts.