lærernes

Lærernes is the possessive plural form of the Norwegian noun lærer, meaning the teachers. It denotes something that belongs to or is associated with more than one teacher. The base plural is lærere (teachers); the definite plural is lærerne (the teachers). In Bokmål, possessive plural is formed by adding the suffix -s to the definite plural, producing lærernes (the teachers’). This form is used with nouns that are definite; the phrases lærernes arbeid, lærernes rettigheter, and lærernes forhold are typical examples.

Etymology: The form comes from the verb lære, meaning to teach, combined with the possessive suffix -s. This pattern mirrors possessive construction used for plural nouns in Norwegian.

Usage notes: Lærernes appears primarily in written Norwegian in formal or descriptive contexts such as policy texts, academic writing, or news reporting about teachers as a group. It is not used when referring to a single teacher.

Cross-linguistic notes: The possessive plural concept exists in related Scandinavian languages, yielding cognate forms with similar meanings in Danish and Swedish, where analogous constructions are used to indicate possession by multiple teachers.