Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Historien om byen blir ofte fortalt på museet for lokal kultur. - The history of the town is often told at the museum for local culture.

Using historien (“the history”) makes it clear you’re talking about a specific, well-known narrative (the story of this particular city). If you said en historie om byen, it would mean “a (some) story about the city,” implying one of possibly many or a less established account.

Why is byen in the definite form?

In Norwegian, nouns following prepositions like om still need the definite suffix if you mean “the city.” So by → byen (“the city”). Here you’re referring to a specific city’s history, not just any city.

Why is om used after historien? Could we say av?

Om means “about” or “concerning,” so historien om byen = “the history about the city.” Av would mean “by” or “of” in the sense of origin or authorship, which doesn’t work here (it would sound like “the history by the city”).

How does the passive voice blir fortalt work? Could we use er fortalt instead?

Norwegian forms the dynamic (or present) passive with bli + past participle: blir fortalt = “is being told” or “gets told” (habitually). Er fortalt is a stative passive—“is told,” focusing on the result (it has been told), not the ongoing action. In your sentence, blir fortalt emphasizes that the telling happens regularly.

Why is ofte placed between blir and fortalt?

In a compound verb phrase (auxiliary + participle), adverbs like ofte normally slot between the auxiliary (blir) and the participle (fortalt). You could also put ofte at the very beginning or end of the sentence for emphasis, but mid-position between auxiliary and main verb is standard.

Why do we say på museet rather than i museet for “at the museum”?

Norwegians usually use på with institutions and public places (e.g. på skolen, på kontoret, på museet). I museet isn’t wrong if you literally mean “inside the museum building,” but idiomatically på museet covers visiting, working, or exhibiting there.

What does for indicate in museet for lokal kultur? Could we use om instead?

For here means “dedicated to” or “focused on.” So museet for lokal kultur = “the museum (dedicated) to local culture.” Om would shift the meaning to “a museum about local culture,” emphasizing the topic of its exhibits rather than its purpose or mission—subtly different.

Why is museet in the definite form?

Because the sentence refers to a specific museum known in context (“the museum for local culture”). In Norwegian, after på you don’t add a separate article; you use the noun’s definite form (museet) to express “the museum.”