Breakdown of Vekselpengene ligger i kontantkassen.
i
on
ligge
to lie (be located)
vekselpengene
the change
kontantkassen
the cash box; till
Questions & Answers about Vekselpengene ligger i kontantkassen.
Why is it vekselpengene and not just vekselpenger?
Because vekselpengene is the definite form, meaning the change rather than just change in a general sense.
- vekselpenger = change / small money / change money
- vekselpengene = the change
In Norwegian, definiteness is often added to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.
Here, -ne shows that the noun is definite plural.
Why is vekselpenger plural when English often says change as an uncountable noun?
Norwegian often treats penger (money) as a plural noun in form, even when English uses a singular or uncountable word.
So:
- penger = money
- vekselpenger = change
Even though English says the change is, Norwegian uses a plural noun form here, which is why the verb can look plural in older or more formal language patterns. In modern Norwegian, the same verb form is used for all persons and numbers anyway, so ligger works naturally here.
What does ligger mean here? Why not use a verb meaning is?