Kikkerten ligger ved siden av teleskopet.

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Breakdown of Kikkerten ligger ved siden av teleskopet.

• ligge: to lie (be located)
• kikkerten: the binoculars
• teleskopet: the telescope

Questions & Answers about Kikkerten ligger ved siden av teleskopet.

Could kikkert really mean binoculars even though it looks singular?

Yes. In Norwegian, en kikkert is grammatically a singular noun, but it often corresponds to English binoculars, which is plural in form. So kikkerten can naturally mean the binoculars.

That is something English speakers often have to get used to: the Norwegian grammar is singular even when the English translation may look plural.

Why do kikkerten and teleskopet have endings instead of separate words for the?

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

• en kikkert = a binocular / a pair of binoculars
• kikkerten = the binoculars
• et teleskop = a telescope
• teleskopet = the telescope

So the endings:

• -en = definite ending for many common-gender nouns
• -et = definite ending for many neuter nouns

What are the dictionary forms of the nouns in this sentence?

The dictionary forms are:

• en kikkert
• et teleskop

Those are the indefinite singular forms, which is how nouns are usually listed in dictionaries and vocabulary lists.

What form is ligger?