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Questions & Answers about Han går ned trappen.
What does går mean in this sentence, and what is its infinitive form?
Går is the present tense of å gå, meaning “goes” or “walks.” In Norwegian the same verb covers both English senses; context tells you which one fits.
What is the role of ned here—an adverb or a preposition?
Ned is a directional adverb meaning “down.” It tells you the direction of the action (“goes down”). You don’t need a separate preposition with it.
Why don’t we say i trappen or på trappen instead of just ned trappen?
Because ned already conveys “into/down to” that space. In English you’d say “down the stairs” without an extra “into.” Norwegian treats ned as a complete direction marker.
Why is it trappen rather than en trapp or trappene?
Trapp is “staircase” or “stairs.” By adding the suffix -en you make it definite: trappen = “the stairs/the staircase.” You wouldn’t say en trapp here because that would be “a staircase,” which changes the meaning. Trappene would be the plural (“the staircases” or “the stairs” if referring to separate staircases), but we normally talk about one staircase as a unit.
Is Han går ned trappa correct as well?