Questions & Answers about Barna roter på rommet.
Why does barna mean the children?
Because barna is the definite plural form of barn.
A quick pattern:
- et barn = a child
- barnet = the child
- barn = children
- barna = the children
So the ending -a here is doing the job that English does with the.
Is barna standard Norwegian, or is it just a spoken form?
Barna is fully standard in Bokmål and very common in everyday Norwegian.
You may also see barnene, which is another definite plural form, but barna usually sounds more natural and common in modern usage.
So:
- barna = standard and very common
- barnene = also possible, but often feels more formal or old-fashioned
Why is there no separate word for are in this sentence?
Norwegian does not usually use a separate verb like English are to make the present progressive.
English says:
- The children are making a mess
Norwegian simply uses the present tense:
- Barna roter
This can mean both:
- The children make a mess
- The children are making a mess
The exact meaning depends on context.