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Plastposene ligger på gulvet fordi skuffen er full.

Plastposene ligger på gulvet fordi skuffen er full.
The plastic bags lie on the floor because the drawer is full.
FromLesson 15inHardcore Norwegian
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Questions & Answers about Plastposene ligger på gulvet fordi skuffen er full.

Why is the verb ligger used here instead of legger?
In Norwegian ligge is intransitive (“to lie” or “to be located”) and takes no object. legge is transitive (“to lay something down”) and requires a direct object. Since we’re describing where the bags already are (they’re lying on the floor), we use ligger.
Why does plastposene end with -ene?
The noun plastpose (“plastic bag”) has the indefinite plural plastposer. To make it definite plural (“the plastic bags”), you add -ene, giving plastposene.
Why is gulvet in the definite form (ending in -et)?
gulv (“floor”) is a neuter noun (indefinite et gulv). To form the definite singular (“the floor”), you add -et, resulting in gulvet.
Why is the adjective full not inflected (no -t) after er?
When an adjective follows a copular verb like er (to be), it stands in the predicative position and remains uninflected: skuffen er full. In attributive position (before a noun) you would inflect it: en full skuff.
Why do we use på gulvet instead of i gulvet?
In Norwegian på is used with surfaces, so “on the floor” is på gulvet. i is used for being inside a container, which doesn’t apply to a floor.
What about skuffen—why is it definite and what gender is it?
The noun skuff (“drawer”) is common gender (indefinite en skuff). To refer to a specific drawer, you make it definite by adding -en, giving skuffen.
Could we use other words for “because” besides fordi?

Yes. Common alternatives are:

  • siden: “Siden skuffen er full, ligger plastposene på gulvet.”
  • ettersom: works similarly.
    You can also use the prepositional phrase på grunn av
    • at (though it’s heavier):
      “Plastposene ligger på gulvet på grunn av at skuffen er full.”
How does the word order work in the main clause versus the subordinate clause?

Main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb is in the second position.

  1. Plastposene (subject)
  2. ligger (verb)
  3. på gulvet…

In subordinate clauses introduced by fordi, Norwegian does not push the verb to the end. It still goes right after the subject:

  • fordi skuffen (subject) er (verb) full.