Det ivrige barnet starter først.

the child

Breakdown of Det ivrige barnet starter først.

• starte: to start
• det: the
• først: first

Questions & Answers about Det ivrige barnet starter først.

What does det mean here? Is it it, that, or the?

Here, det is part of the noun phrase det ivrige barnet, which means the eager child.

In Norwegian, det can mean different things in different contexts:

• it → as a pronoun
• that → as a demonstrative
• part of a definite noun phrase → like the before a neuter noun with an adjective

In this sentence, it is best understood as part of the eager child, not as a separate it.

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Why do we have both det and barnet? Don’t they both mean the?

Yes, in a way they both contribute to definiteness. This is a normal Norwegian pattern often called double definiteness.

• barn = child
• barnet = the child
• det ivrige barnet = the eager child

When a definite noun has an adjective before it, Norwegian usually uses:

• a separate definite word: det
• plus the noun in its definite form: barnet

So:

• barnet = the child
• det ivrige barnet = the eager child

You usually cannot just say ivrige barnet in standard Bokmål.

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Why is it det and not den?