Flåten ligger ved kysten.

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Breakdown of Flåten ligger ved kysten.

• kysten: the coast
• ligge: to lie (be located)
• flåten: the fleet

Questions & Answers about Flåten ligger ved kysten.

Why does flåten end in -en?

Because Norwegian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun.

• flåte = raft / fleet
• flåten = the raft / the fleet

So instead of using a separate word like the, Norwegian often adds a suffix:

• båt = boat
• båten = the boat

What exactly does flåten mean here?

It depends on context. Flåte can mean:

• raft
• fleet

So flåten can mean the raft or the fleet. The wider context tells you which one is intended.

Why is the verb ligger used instead of er?

Norwegian often uses position/location verbs where English simply uses to be.

Here, ligger is the present tense of å ligge, which often means:

• lies
• is lying
• is located

So Flåten ligger ved kysten is more natural than using er if you want to describe where something is located.

English says:

• The raft is by the coast

Norwegian often prefers:

• Flåten ligger ved kysten