Ved trappen vokser det en busk med grønne blader.

By the stairs a shrub with green leaves is growing.

Breakdown of Ved trappen vokser det en busk med grønne blader.

• en: a
• med: with
• det: it
• vokse: to grow
• grønn: green
• ved: by
• trappen: the stairs
• busken: the shrub
• bladet: the leaf

Questions & Answers about Ved trappen vokser det en busk med grønne blader.

What does Ved trappen mean, and how is trappen formed?

Ved is a preposition meaning “by,” “next to,” or “at.” Trappen is the definite singular form of en trapp (“a staircase” or “a flight of stairs”). The suffix -en turns trapp into “the staircase” (or “the stairs”). So Ved trappen literally means “by the staircase” or “next to the stairs.”

Why is trappen in the definite form instead of en trapp?

We use the definite form because we’re talking about a specific staircase that the speaker and listener both know about (e.g. the one at the house). In Norwegian, locations introduced by prepositions like ved, på, i usually take a definite noun: ved skolen (by the school), på butikken (at the store).

Why does vokser (the verb “grows”) come before det in Ved trappen vokser det en busk?

Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position. Since the sentence starts with the adverbial phrase Ved trappen, the verb vokser must come next, followed by the subject (the dummy det).

What is the purpose of det in vokser det en busk? Can it be omitted?

Here det is an expletive or dummy subject, equivalent to English there in “there is” or “there grows.” It introduces an existential clause. You cannot omit it without making the sentence ungrammatical or turning it into a question.

What does en busk mean, and why is en used?

Busk is a masculine noun meaning “bush.” The indefinite article en means “a” or “one.” So en busk simply means “a bush.”

What does med grønne blader mean, and how is it constructed?

Med means “with.” Blader is the indefinite plural of blad (“leaf”), formed by adding -er. Grønne is the weak inflection of the adjective grønn (“green”) used with plural indefinite nouns, so grønne blader = “green leaves.” The whole phrase med grønne blader means “with green leaves.”

Why does the adjective become grønne (with -e) and the noun blader (with -er)?

In Norwegian, adjectives describing an indefinite plural noun take the weak form ending in -e (hence grønne). Most masculine and feminine nouns form their indefinite plural by adding -er, so blad becomes blader.