Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Fuglene synger høyt under den blå himmelen. - The birds sing loudly under the blue sky.

The indefinite plural of fugl is fugler, and to make it definite you add -ne, giving fuglene (“the birds”). We use fuglene because the sentence talks about specific birds.

Why is synger spelled with -r, and how do you form the present tense of synge?

In Norwegian the present tense is formed by adding -r to the verb stem. The infinitive synge (to sing) drops the final -e and adds -r, resulting in synger (“sing”/“sings”).

What part of speech is høyt, and why does it end in -t?

Here høyt is an adverb meaning “loudly” (or “highly”). Many adverbs in Norwegian are identical to the neuter adjective form, which often ends in -t.

Why is the adverb høyt placed immediately after the verb synger?

Norwegian follows a V2 (verb-second) word order. With no direct object, the pattern is Subject (fuglene) – Verb (synger) – Adverbial (høyt) – Prepositional phrase (under …).

What is the role of under in the sentence, and does it change the form of the noun?

Under is a preposition meaning “under” or “beneath.” Norwegian does not have case endings for nouns after prepositions, so under simply introduces the noun phrase den blå himmelen without altering its form.

Why do we say den blå himmelen instead of just himmelen or blå himmel?

When you have an adjective before a definite noun, you use a separate definite article (den, det, de) plus the noun’s definite suffix. Thus en himmel → himmelen, and with the adjective blå it becomes den blå himmelen (“the blue sky”).

How do adjectives agree with nouns in Norwegian in terms of gender, number, and definiteness?

Adjectives take different endings based on:

Gender: common (en) vs. neuter (et)
Number: singular vs. plural
Definiteness: indefinite vs. definite

Examples:
• Indefinite common singular: en blå himmel
• Indefinite neuter singular: et blått hus
• Definite common singular: den blå himmelen
• Definite neuter singular: det blå huset
• Indefinite plural: blå himler
• Definite plural: de blå himlene

Can we start the sentence with under den blå himmelen? If so, what happens to the word order?

Yes. Placing an adverbial phrase first triggers inversion (V2 rule). You would say:
Under den blå himmelen synger fuglene høyt.
Here the verb synger moves directly after the fronted phrase, before the subject.

How would you form a yes/no question from this sentence?

Swap the verb and subject to get:
Synger fuglene høyt under den blå himmelen?

What’s the difference between under and i when talking about himmelen?

Under means “beneath/under,” so under den blå himmelen implies the birds are below the sky. I means “in/inside,” so i himmelen would suggest “in the sky” or “up in heaven.”

How do you pronounce ø and å in høyt and blå?

The letter å in blå sounds like the vowel in English “law” ([oː]).
The diphthong øy in høyt is pronounced like the vowel sound in English “boy” ([øy]).