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Questions & Answers about Barna leker i hage.
What is the literal translation of Barna leker i hage?
Barna means "the children" (with the definite marker attached to barn), leker is the present-tense form of "to play", i means "in", and hage translates as "garden". Thus, the sentence can be translated as "The children are playing in the garden." Note that although barna is clearly definite, hage appears in an indefinite form—a point that may prompt questions about Norwegian article usage.
Why is barna used instead of just barn for “children”?
In Norwegian, definiteness is expressed by adding a suffix to the noun rather than using a separate word like "the" in English. Here, barn (children) becomes barna to indicate "the children." This inflection is a common feature in Norwegian grammar.
What does the verb leker indicate in terms of tense and aspect?
The verb leker is the present tense of leke (to play). In Norwegian, the present tense can be used both for actions happening right now (similar to the present continuous in English) and for habitual actions. Context helps determine whether it should be understood as a current ongoing action or a general habit.
Why is the prepositional phrase i hage used with an indefinite noun instead of the definite form i hagen?
Typically, if referring to a specific, known garden, Norwegian would use the definite form hagen. However, in this sentence hage is used without the definite suffix, which can imply a more general location—a garden rather than the garden. This usage might also reflect regional stylistic variations, where context makes the intended meaning clear despite the absence of the definite marker.
How does the sentence structure of Barna leker i hage compare to English sentence structure?
The sentence follows a straightforward Subject-Verb-Prepositional Phrase order. Barna is the subject, leker is the verb, and i hage functions as a locational phrase. This order is very similar to English (e.g., "The children play in the garden"), making it easier for English speakers to understand the basic sentence structure in Norwegian.