Questions & Answers about Barna leker med hunden.
What does Barna mean, and why is it not simply barn?
Barna translates as "the children". In Norwegian, definite nouns are formed by adding a suffix to the base (indefinite) noun. Here, the indefinite barn (which can mean “child” or “children”) becomes barna by adding the suffix -a to indicate the definite plural form.
What tense is the verb leker, and how is it used in Norwegian?
Leker is the present tense form of the verb å leke, meaning "to play". Unlike English, Norwegian verbs do not change form based on the subject. So regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural, leker is used to express an action happening now—equivalent to both the simple present and the present continuous in English.
Why is the preposition med used in this sentence?
Med means "with" in English. It is an essential part of the verb phrase å leke med, which translates to "to play with." This preposition links the action of playing to the object of play, in this case, hunden (“the dog”).
How is the object "the dog" expressed in Norwegian, and what role does hunden play?