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Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Pasienten ligger i koma. - The patient is in a coma.

Hardcore Norwegian
/Borrowing from a shared tool library
/Pasienten ligger i koma.

Pasienten ligger i koma.

Pasienten ligger i koma.

The patient is in a coma.

Breakdown of Pasienten ligger i koma.

to lie (be located)

Questions & Answers about Pasienten ligger i koma.

Why is it pasienten and not just pasient?

Because pasienten is the definite singular form, meaning the patient.

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

en pasient = a patient
pasienten = the patient

So this sentence is talking about a specific patient, not just any patient.

What form is ligger?

Ligger is the present tense of the verb å ligge, which usually means to lie or to be lying.

So grammatically:

å ligge = infinitive
ligger = present tense

In this sentence, it describes the patient’s current state.

Why does Norwegian use ligger here instead of er?

Norwegian often uses more specific verbs of position where English would just use to be.

Very commonly:

stå = stand
sitte = sit
ligge = lie

So while English says The patient is in a coma, Norwegian can naturally say Pasienten ligger i koma, using ligger because the person is understood as lying there in that state.

This is a very Norwegian way of expressing location or condition.

Can I also say Pasienten er i koma?

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Yes, that is also possible.

Pasienten er i koma focuses more directly on the condition: The patient is in a coma.
Pasienten ligger i koma sounds a bit more physical or descriptive, as if presenting the patient lying there in that state.

Both are understandable and natural, but ligger i koma is a very common expression.

Why is the preposition i used?

I is used because Norwegian treats koma here as a state or condition someone is in.

So:

i koma = in a coma

This matches English quite closely in this case. Using another preposition, such as på, would be wrong here.

Why is there no article before koma?

Because i koma is a set expression meaning in a coma or in the state of coma.

In Norwegian, prepositional expressions that describe a state often leave out the article. The focus is on the condition itself, not on counting the noun.

So i koma is the natural form here, not something like i en koma.

Does ligger mean lies or is lying?

It can mean either, depending on context.

Norwegian does not usually make the same strong distinction English makes between:

lies
is lying

So ligger can cover both ideas. In this sentence, it means the patient is currently in that state, so English would usually translate it as is lying or, more naturally, just is.

Is ligger describing an action or a state?

Mostly a state.

The sentence is not really about the action of lying down. It describes the patient’s condition and physical situation. So ligger here is best understood as part of a medical or descriptive way of saying the patient is lying there in a coma.

What is the basic word order in this sentence?

It follows normal Norwegian main-clause word order:

Pasienten = subject
ligger = verb
i koma = prepositional phrase

So the structure is:

Subject + Verb + Prepositional phrase

That is the standard pattern for a simple statement in Norwegian.

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