Barnet sitter på rumpa.

the child

Breakdown of Barnet sitter på rumpa.

• på: on
• sitte: to sit
• rumpa: the butt

Questions & Answers about Barnet sitter på rumpa.

Why is it barnet instead of barn?

Barn means child in an indefinite/general sense. Barnet is the definite form, meaning the child.

Norwegian often makes nouns definite by adding an ending:

• et barn = a child
• barnet = the child

So barnet tells you we are talking about a specific child.

Why is there no separate word for the?

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the noun as a suffix instead of being a separate word.

So:

• the child → barnet
• not usually det barn in a normal sentence like this

This is one of the first big differences English speakers notice.

Why is it sitter and not something like is sitting?

Norwegian often uses the simple present where English may prefer the progressive form.

So sitter can mean:

• sits
• is sitting

In this sentence, sitter naturally means is sitting because it describes what the child is doing right now.

Also, the verb å sitte means to sit / to be sitting.

Why is the verb form sitter? Does it change depending on the subject?