Barnet ser grisen.

to see

Breakdown of Barnet ser grisen.

• barnet: the child
• grisen: the pig

Questions & Answers about Barnet ser grisen.

Why are barnet and grisen written as one word instead of using a separate word for the?

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun.

• barn = child

• barnet = the child

• gris = pig
• grisen = the pig

So instead of saying a separate word like English the child, Norwegian often says child-the.

What do the endings -et and -en mean?

They are definite endings, but they also reflect the grammatical gender of the noun.

• et barn = a child → barnet = the child
• en gris = a pig → grisen = the pig

So:

• -et is the common definite ending for many neuter nouns
• -en is the common definite ending for many masculine nouns

This is why the two nouns in the sentence take different endings.

Why isn’t it et barnet or en grisen?