Breakdown of Utgangen er nær en liten kiosk som selger paraplyer.
være
to be
en
a
liten
small
selge
to sell
utgangen
the exit
paraplyen
the umbrella
nær
near
kiosken
the kiosk
som
that
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Questions & Answers about Utgangen er nær en liten kiosk som selger paraplyer.
Why is utgangen in the definite form?
Because the speaker refers to a specific exit (“the exit”), not “an exit.” In Norwegian you form the definite singular of a common-gender noun by adding -en. So utgang (exit) becomes utgangen (the exit).
Why is it en liten kiosk and not et lite kiosk?
Kiosk is treated as a common-gender noun in Bokmål, so its indefinite article is en. When you use an adjective before a common-gender noun, the adjective takes the form liten (not lite). Hence en liten kiosk. If the noun were neuter, you’d use et and lite (for example, et lite hus).
What part of speech is nær here, and does it change form?
Here nær is an adjective functioning predicatively after the verb er (“is”), meaning “near” or “close to.” In this position nær does not inflect for gender or number—it stays nær.
Could we say i nærheten av en liten kiosk instead of nær en liten kiosk?
Yes. Utgangen er i nærheten av en kiosk som selger paraplyer means the same thing. i nærheten av is a more descriptive prepositional phrase (“in the vicinity of”), but both forms are common.
Why is som used to introduce selger paraplyer?
som is the general relative pronoun in Norwegian for both people and things. It refers back to kiosk. In Norwegian relative clauses the finite verb stays in second position, so you get som selger paraplyer (“that sells umbrellas”).
Why do we use selger (present active) and not selges or selge?
selger is the present-tense active form of å selge (“to sell”), fitting because the kiosk actively sells umbrellas. selges would be passive (“is being sold”), and selge is the infinitive.
How do you form the plural of paraply, and why is it paraplyer here?
Paraply is a feminine noun ending in -y. Its indefinite plural is formed by adding -er, so paraply → paraplyer (“umbrellas”). The definite plural would be paraplyene.
Could we swap around the sentence to say En liten kiosk som selger paraplyer er nær utgangen?
Grammatically yes, but it shifts the focus: you’re now stating where the kiosk is, instead of where the exit is. Many speakers would instead say En liten kiosk som selger paraplyer ligger nær utgangen, using ligger (“lies/is located”) with the subject kiosken.