Norwegian word choices
Lagre vs spare: two meanings of ‘save’
English uses ‘save’ for both files and money. In Norwegian, use lagre for saving a file and spare for putting money aside or spending less. Try four everyday situations.
Show all 4 practice notesHide practice notes
Four practice notes
Keep these examples for learning
Situations, answers and short explanations.
Prompt
You want to keep your document changes before closing it. Jeg må ___ dokumentet før jeg lukker det. Choose lagre or spare.
Answer and explanation
Jeg må lagre dokumentet før jeg lukker det. I need to save the document before I close it. Saving a document: use lagre.
Prompt
You put money aside each month for a holiday. Jeg vil ___ penger til en ferie. Choose lagre or spare.
Answer and explanation
Jeg vil spare penger til en ferie. I want to save money for a holiday. Putting money aside: use spare.
Prompt
You want to keep a photo on your computer. Jeg vil ___ bildet på datamaskinen. Choose lagre or spare.
Answer and explanation
Jeg vil lagre bildet på datamaskinen. I want to save the picture on the computer. Saving a digital photo: use lagre.
Prompt
A monthly pass costs less than separate tickets. Jeg kan ___ penger ved å kjøpe månedskort. Choose lagre or spare.
Answer and explanation
Jeg kan spare penger ved å kjøpe månedskort. I can save money by buying a monthly pass. Spending less money also uses spare.
The difference
Lagre: save a file. Lagre filen (save the file).
Spare: save money. Spare penger til en ferie (save money for a holiday).
Spare also covers spending less: spare penger på mat (save money on food). A Save button says Lagre; a discount may say Spar, the command form of spare. Both verbs have other uses, so start with the situation.
See Det Norske Akademis ordbok on lagre and Bokmålsordboka on spare for the meanings. Practice examples are original.