Barna løper ute i hagen.

The children run outside in the garden.

Breakdown of Barna løper ute i hagen.

• barnet: the child
• i: in
• ute: outside
• hagen: the garden
• løpe: to run

Questions & Answers about Barna løper ute i hagen.

Why is the word Barna used to mean “the children” instead of having a separate word for “the”?

In Norwegian the definite article is attached to the noun as a suffix. The basic word for “child” is barn. To make it plural definite (“the children”), you add -a, giving barna.

Why isn’t there a separate verb for “are running” like in English “The children are running outside in the garden”?

Norwegian does not distinguish between simple present and present continuous. The present tense form løper covers both “run” and “am/are running,” so context tells you whether it’s habitual or ongoing.

What part of speech is ute, and why is it placed before i hagen?

Ute is an adverb meaning “outside.” Placing it before i hagen (“in the garden”) emphasizes that the action takes place outdoors, outside—in addition to being in the garden.

Could I say Barna løper i hagen without ute? Would that change the meaning?

Yes. Barna løper i hagen simply means “The children run/are running in the garden.” Omitting ute removes the extra stress on them being outside; it’s still clear they’re in the garden, but you lose the broader “outdoors” nuance.

Why is hagen in this particular form?

Hagen is the definite singular form of hage (“garden”). In Norwegian you add -n (or -en) to make a noun definite. So i hagen literally means “in the garden.”

Can the word order change, for example Ute i hagen løper barna?

Yes. Norwegian follows the V2 (verb-second) rule. If you start with an adverbial phrase like Ute i hagen, the verb løper stays in second position, followed by the subject barna. This word order is correct and puts extra emphasis on location.