Breakdown of Jeg blir glad når jeg ser at du har et stort smil.
jeg
I
du
you
ha
to have
stor
big
se
to see
et
a
at
that
når
when
bli
to become
glad
happy
smil
the smile
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Questions & Answers about Jeg blir glad når jeg ser at du har et stort smil.
What does the verb blir mean in this sentence, and why is it used instead of er?
Blir is the present tense form of the verb å bli, which translates to “to become” or “to get.” In this sentence, “Jeg blir glad” means “I become happy” or “I get happy.” This is different from er (which means “am”) because using blir emphasizes a change of state—showing that your smile causes the feeling of happiness.
How does the word når function in this sentence?
Når means “when” in Norwegian. It acts as a conjunction that connects the main clause “Jeg blir glad” with the subordinate clause “jeg ser at du har et stort smil.” This indicates that the happiness is triggered at the moment the speaker sees that the listener has a big smile.
What role does at play in the clause at du har et stort smil?
In this sentence, at is a subordinating conjunction equivalent to the English word “that.” It introduces the subordinate clause “du har et stort smil,” providing additional information about what is being seen. This structure is commonly used in Norwegian to add descriptive details or clarify the content of the observation.
Why is the adjective stort used instead of stor when describing smil?
In Norwegian, adjectives agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe. The word smil is a neuter noun, and when describing a neuter noun in its indefinite singular form, the adjective takes an -t ending. Therefore, stor becomes stort to correctly match et smil.
What is the overall sentence structure, and how does the subordinate clause integrate with the main clause?
The sentence is composed of a main clause and two subordinate clauses. The main clause is “Jeg blir glad,” and it is followed by the subordinate clause “når jeg ser at du har et stort smil.” Within the time clause introduced by når, there is an additional subordinate clause introduced by at. Both subordinate clauses maintain the standard subject-verb order typical in Norwegian. This layered structure demonstrates how conditions and additional details are connected smoothly in Norwegian sentence construction.