Breakdown of Busken får både sol og regn gjennom åpningen i taket.
i
in
og
and
solen
the sun
få
to get
regnet
the rain
både
both
taket
the roof
busken
the shrub
gjennom
through
åpningen
the opening
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Norwegian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Busken får både sol og regn gjennom åpningen i taket.
Why does busken end with -en instead of having a separate article like en busk?
In Norwegian you attach the definite article to the end of the noun. busk (a bush) becomes busken (the bush). If you wanted to say “a bush,” you would use en busk; to say “the bush,” you say busken.
How does the correlative conjunction både … og work in this sentence?
både … og means “both … and.” You place både before the first item and og before the second. Here både sol og regn = “both sun and rain.” It emphasizes that the bush receives two things.
Why are there no articles before sol or regn?
sol (sun) and regn (rain) are uncountable mass nouns here. When you talk about them in a general sense (getting sun, getting rain), you don’t need an article in Norwegian.
What exactly does gjennom mean, and why is it used here?
gjennom translates as “through.” It indicates that the sun and rain pass directly through the opening. If you said fra åpningen, that would mean “from the opening,” implying origin rather than passage through.
Why is it åpningen i taket and not åpningen på taket?
i taket means “in the roof/ceiling”—the opening is an actual hole through the material. på taket would mean “on top of the roof,” as if something sits on the surface, which isn’t the meaning here.
Could we say en åpning i taket instead of åpningen i taket?
Yes. en åpning i taket = “an opening in the roof,” indefinite. Using åpningen (definite) suggests it’s a specific, known opening—perhaps one you’ve mentioned or can see.
Why is the verb får used to express “gets” here instead of something like mottar?
får is the everyday word for “gets” or “receives.” mottar also means “receives” but is more formal or technical. In everyday speech and writing you’d normally use får.
Is the word order Busken (S) – får (V) – både sol og regn (O) – gjennom åpningen i taket (adverbial) typical in Norwegian?
Yes. Main clauses follow the SVO pattern (subject–verb–object), and then adverbial phrases (here gjennom åpningen i taket) typically come after the object unless you’re emphasizing them by fronting.