Breakdown of Småveden ligger under vedkubben.
under
under
ligge
to lie (be located)
småveden
the kindling wood
vedkubben
the log of firewood
Questions & Answers about Småveden ligger under vedkubben.
Why is there no separate word for the in Småveden and vedkubben?
In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of standing as a separate word before it.
So:
- småved = kindling / small firewood
- småveden = the kindling
and
- vedkubbe = log / wood block
- vedkubben = the log / the wood block
This is one of the first big differences from English. Instead of the log, Norwegian often says log-the: vedkubben.
What does the ending -en mean here?
The ending -en marks the noun as definite singular for many masculine nouns.
In this sentence:
- småveden = the kindling
- vedkubben = the log
So -en is doing the job that the does in English.
A useful pattern is:
- en vedkubbe = a log
- vedkubben = the log
Because these are compound nouns, the definite ending goes on the whole word, at the very end.
Why is it ligger and not er?