Polarstjernen ligger nær Karlsvogna.

near

Breakdown of Polarstjernen ligger nær Karlsvogna.

• ligge: to lie (be located)
• Polarstjernen: the North Star
• Karlsvogna: the Big Dipper

Questions & Answers about Polarstjernen ligger nær Karlsvogna.

Why is ligger used here instead of er?

In Norwegian, ligge is often used for something that is located somewhere, especially when talking about physical position.

So Polarstjernen ligger nær Karlsvogna means literally something like:

• The Pole Star lies near the Big Dipper

In natural English, we usually just say is near, but Norwegian often prefers ligger for location.

A few comparisons:

• Oslo ligger i Norge = Oslo is in Norway
• Boka ligger på bordet = The book is on the table

So here, ligger does not mean the star is literally lying down. It is just the normal Norwegian way to describe where something is.

What form is ligger?

Ligger is the present tense of the verb å ligge.

So:

• å ligge = to lie / to be situated
• ligger = lies / is situated

Examples:

• Sola ligger lavt på himmelen = The sun is low in the sky
• Byen ligger ved kysten = The city is located by the coast

What does nær mean, and how is it used?