Bæret ligger i kurven.

The berry lies in the basket.

Breakdown of Bæret ligger i kurven.

• i: in
• ligge: to lie (be located)
• kurven: the basket
• bæret: the berry

Questions & Answers about Bæret ligger i kurven.

Why is it bæret and not just bær?

Because bæret is the definite singular form of et bær.

• et bær = a berry
• bæret = the berry

In Norwegian, the definite article is often added to the end of the noun as a suffix instead of being a separate word like the in English.

For neuter nouns like et bær, the definite ending is usually -et.

Why is it kurven and not kurv?

For the same reason: kurven is the definite singular form.

• en kurv = a basket
• kurven = the basket

Here, kurv is a common-gender noun, and common-gender nouns usually take -en in the definite singular.

So:

• bæret = the berry
• kurven = the basket

Why doesn’t Norwegian use a separate word for the here?