Breakdown of Hun kjøper et nytt tastatur og en mus på kjøpesenteret.
hun
she
en
a
et
a
og
and
kjøpe
to buy
ny
new
på
at
tastaturet
the keyboard
musen
the mouse
kjøpesenteret
the shopping mall
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Questions & Answers about Hun kjøper et nytt tastatur og en mus på kjøpesenteret.
What does kjøper mean, and which tense is it?
kjøper is the present‐tense form of the verb å kjøpe, meaning “to buy.” In Norwegian, you form the present tense by adding -r to the infinitive: kjøpe → kjøper.
Why is et used before nytt tastatur and en before mus?
Norwegian nouns fall into two genders: neuter and common. Neuter nouns take the indefinite article et, and common‐gender nouns take en. Since tastatur (keyboard) is neuter, you say et tastatur, whereas mus (mouse) is common gender, so you say en mus.
Why does the adjective ny become nytt here?
Adjectives in Norwegian agree with the noun’s gender and number. For a singular neuter noun, you add -t to the indefinite adjective. Hence ny → nytt before tastatur (neuter).
What is the function of og in this sentence?
og is the coordinating conjunction “and.” It links the two objects et nytt tastatur and en mus.
Why is på used with kjøpesenteret, and what does it mean?
på is a preposition that here means “at” (location). In Norwegian you commonly use på with places like a shopping center (similar to English “at the mall”).
Why is kjøpesenteret in the definite form?
Adding -et to the neuter noun kjøpesenter makes it definite: kjøpesenteret means “the shopping center.” You use the definite form because you’re referring to a specific or known shopping center. If you wanted “at a shopping center,” you’d say på et kjøpesenter.
What is the typical word order in this sentence?
In Norwegian main clauses you generally follow Subject-Verb-Object, then adverbials or prepositional phrases. Here it is:
• Hun (subject)
• kjøper (verb)
• et nytt tastatur og en mus (objects)
• på kjøpesenteret (prepositional phrase)
Can you start the sentence with på kjøpesenteret, and if so, what changes?
Yes. Norwegian uses the V2 (verb‐second) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position. If you front the prepositional phrase, you get:
På kjøpesenteret kjøper hun et nytt tastatur og en mus.
Notice the verb kjøper stays second, and the subject hun moves after it.