Breakdown of Hun snakker om utsettelsen og flerbarnsdagene.
Questions & Answers about Hun snakker om utsettelsen og flerbarnsdagene.
Why is it hun and not henne?
Hun is the subject form, equivalent to English she. In this sentence, she is the one doing the action, so Norwegian uses hun.
Use henne when she is the object, like English her:
- Jeg ser henne. = I see her.
But here:
- Hun snakker ... = She speaks / is talking ...
Why is the verb snakker and not something different for hun?
In Norwegian, verbs usually do not change according to the subject the way they do in English.
So you get:
- jeg snakker
- du snakker
- hun snakker
- vi snakker
That makes Norwegian easier than English in this area. Snakker is simply the present tense form of å snakke.
What does snakker om mean as a unit?
Å snakke om means to talk about or to speak about.
So the preposition om belongs naturally with this verb when you introduce the topic:
- Vi snakker om været. = We are talking about the weather.
- Hun snakker om utsettelsen. = She is talking about the postponement.
So this is not just snakker plus a random preposition; snakke om is a very common combination.
Why does utsettelsen end in -en?
Because utsettelsen is the definite singular form of the noun utsettelse.
The pattern is:
- en utsettelse = a postponement
- utsettelsen = the postponement
Many Norwegian nouns that are en-words form the definite singular by adding -en, though nouns ending in -e often look like this:
- en bok → boken / boka
- en utsettelse → utsettelsen
So the ending shows that it means the postponement, not just a postponement.
Why does flerbarnsdagene end in -ene?
Because flerbarnsdagene is a definite plural noun: the ... days.
The basic pattern is:
- en flerbarnsdag = a multi-child day / a day related to families with several children
- flerbarnsdager = multi-child days
- flerbarnsdagene = the multi-child days
For many en-words, the definite plural ends in -ene:
- en bil → bilene
- en dag → dagene
- en flerbarnsdag → flerbarnsdagene
What kind of word is flerbarnsdagene? It looks very long.
It is a compound noun, which is extremely common in Norwegian.
It is built from smaller parts:
- fler = several / multiple
- barn = child / children
- dag = day
Together they make one noun: flerbarnsdag.
Norwegian often combines words this way instead of using a longer phrase. English learners often need time to get used to this, because Norwegian compounds can become quite long.
Also notice the -s- in the middle: flerbarnsdag. This linking s is common in compounds, though it is not always predictable from English.
Why is there only one om before both nouns?
Because one preposition can govern two coordinated nouns.
So:
- om utsettelsen og flerbarnsdagene
means:
- about the postponement and the multi-child days
Norwegian does not need to repeat om before the second noun unless you want special emphasis or clarity.
Compare:
- Hun snakker om utsettelsen og flerbarnsdagene.
- Hun snakker om utsettelsen og om flerbarnsdagene.
Both are possible, but the first is the more natural, compact version.
Why are both nouns definite: utsettelsen and flerbarnsdagene?
Because the sentence is referring to specific things already known in the context: the postponement and the multi-child days.
Norwegian uses the definite forms directly on the noun:
- utsettelsen = the postponement
- flerbarnsdagene = the multi-child days
This is very normal in Norwegian. If the sentence meant nonspecific things, you would expect indefinite forms instead:
- Hun snakker om en utsettelse og flerbarnsdager.
But that would change the meaning.
What is the basic word order in this sentence?
The basic word order is:
subject + verb + prepositional phrase
So:
- Hun = subject
- snakker = verb
- om utsettelsen og flerbarnsdagene = prepositional phrase
This is the normal word order in a simple Norwegian main clause.
Could I say Hun prater om ... instead of Hun snakker om ...?
Yes, often you could. Å prate om and å snakke om can both mean to talk about.
However:
- snakke is often felt to be a bit more neutral or standard
- prate can sound a little more informal or conversational
In many everyday contexts, either one works:
- Hun snakker om utsettelsen.
- Hun prater om utsettelsen.
How would the indefinite forms of these nouns look?
They would be:
- en utsettelse = a postponement
- en flerbarnsdag = a multi-child day
And the plural indefinite of the second noun would be:
- flerbarnsdager = multi-child days
So the full set is:
For utsettelse:
- en utsettelse
- utsettelsen
For flerbarnsdag:
- en flerbarnsdag
- flerbarnsdager
- flerbarnsdagene
Learning noun patterns like this is very useful, because Norwegian marks definiteness directly on the noun.
Is this sentence present tense only, or can it also mean is talking?
Norwegian present tense often covers both English simple present and present progressive, depending on context.
So Hun snakker om ... can mean:
- She talks about ...
- She is talking about ...
English makes a stronger distinction here than Norwegian does. Norwegian usually lets the context show whether it is a general habit or something happening right now.
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