Barnet tegner prinsessen.

Barnet is the definite singular form of barn, which means the child.

• barn = a child / child
• barnet = the child

In Norwegian, the definite article is often added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word like English the. Since barn is a neuter noun, its definite ending is -et.

For the same reason: prinsessen is the definite singular form, meaning the princess.

• prinsesse = a princess
• prinsessen = the princess

This noun is a common-gender noun, so the definite ending is -en.

Because Norwegian usually expresses the by adding an ending to the noun.

So instead of saying something like the child as two words, Norwegian says barnet. And instead of the princess, it says prinsessen.

This is one of the biggest differences from English:

• English: the child
• Norwegian: barnet

Tegner is the present tense of the verb å tegne, which means to draw.

So:

• å tegne = to draw
• tegner = draws / is drawing

In Norwegian, the present tense often ends in -r.

Examples:

• jeg tegner = I draw / I am drawing
• barnet tegner = the child draws / the child is drawing

It can mean either one, depending on context.

Norwegian present tense often covers both:

• The child draws the princess
• The child is drawing the princess

If you want to know which meaning is intended, you usually need context.

Yes, in this sentence it is.

The order is:

• Barnet = subject
• tegner = verb
• prinsessen = object

So it follows the basic Subject–Verb–Object pattern:

Barnet tegner prinsessen.
= The child draws the princess.

The first noun, barnet, is the subject, so it is the one doing the action.

The second noun, prinsessen, is the object, so it is the one being drawn.

So this sentence means that the child is drawing the princess, not the other way around.

Normally, no. The most natural meaning is that the child is making a picture of the princess.

With the verb å tegne, a direct object often refers to what is being depicted:

• tegne et hus = draw a house
• tegne en katt = draw a cat

So tegner prinsessen is naturally understood as draws the princess.

The dictionary forms are:

• barnet → barn
• tegner → å tegne
• prinsessen → prinsesse

When learning vocabulary, it helps to remember nouns in their base form and verbs with å:

• barn
• å tegne
• prinsesse

It would be:

Et barn tegner en prinsesse.

That means a child is drawing a princess.

Compare:

• Barnet tegner prinsessen = the child draws the princess
• Et barn tegner en prinsesse = a child draws a princess

So the sentence you were given uses definite nouns for both the subject and the object.

Because Norwegian nouns have grammatical gender.

• barn is neuter, so it takes et in the indefinite singular: et barn
• prinsesse is common gender, so it takes en: en prinsesse

Then in the definite singular:

• et barn → barnet
• en prinsesse → prinsessen

A careful approximation for English speakers is:

BAR-net TENG-ner prin-SESS-en

A few useful notes:

• barnet has two syllables: bar-net
• tegner is also two syllables, though the middle sounds can be a little compact in natural speech
• prinsessen has stress on -sess-

Pronunciation varies somewhat by dialect, but the spelling-to-sound relationship is fairly regular once you get used to it.