sånn

Sånn is a Norwegian demonstrative word that can function as a determiner, pronoun, or adverb to indicate a kind or manner. It roughly corresponds to “such,” “that kind of,” or “in this/that way.” It is especially common in spoken language and everyday speech. In more formal writing, equivalents like slik or på den måten can be used, but sånn remains widely used in both bokmål and nynorsk contexts.

Grammatical use and variations. As a determiner before a noun, sånn is used in phrases like en sånn bók (a book of that kind) or en sånn bil (a car like this/that). Plural forms exist as sånne (such ones / such things). It can also be used in phrases without a noun, for example sånn og sånn (this and that) or sånn sett (in that sense). In addition to noun phrases, sånn appears as an adverb in expressions describing manner, such as på sånn måte (in that way). In nynorsk, slangy or colloquial use of sånn is common, with slik serving as a more formal alternative.

Common usages and examples. Examples include: Jeg vil ha en sånn bil (I want a car like this/that sort of car). Sånn som dette er ofte brukt i tale (this sort of thing is often used in speech). På den måten gjør han det sånn (he does it in that way, or he does it like that). Sånn sett betyr det at vi må revurdere planen (in that sense, that means we must reconsider the plan). Det finnes også uttrykket sånn og sånn for å referere til diverse eller ubestemte ting.

Etymology and related forms. Sånn is a colloquial derivation built from så plus a suffix-like element, forming a flexible demonstrative used in everyday language. Related forms include sånne (plural) and compound phrases like sånn som (such as) and sånn sett (in that sense). Slike, while similar, is often considered more formal in bokmål.