Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Lampen på kjøkkenet er gul. - The lamp in the kitchen is yellow.

In Norwegian, you add the definite article as a suffix to the noun.
• en lampe = “a lamp” (indefinite)
• lampen = “the lamp” (definite)
Common (masculine/feminine) nouns take -en, neuter nouns take -et.

What does kjøkkenet mean, and why the extra -et at the end?

kjøkken is a neuter noun meaning “kitchen.”
• et kjøkken = “a kitchen” (indefinite)
• kjøkkenet = “the kitchen” (definite)
Neuter nouns add -et in the definite singular.

Why is på kjøkkenet used for “in the kitchen”? Can’t I say i kjøkkenet?

Although i normally means “inside,” Norwegian commonly uses på for places like rooms or institutions:
• på kjøkkenet – “in/at the kitchen”
• på skolen – “at school”
Using i kjøkkenet sounds unusual to most native speakers.

Why is the adjective gul not inflected? Shouldn’t it agree with lampen (which is definite)?

Adjectives in a predicate position (after er) remain in their base (uninflected) form, regardless of the noun’s gender or definiteness:
• Lampen er gul. – “The lamp is yellow.”
By contrast, attributive adjectives (before a noun) do change to agree with gender and definiteness.

How would I say “the yellow lamp in the kitchen” in Norwegian, with the adjective before the noun?

You need a gendered demonstrative plus an -e ending on the adjective:
• den gule lampen på kjøkkenet
Here den matches the common gender of lampen, and gule is the fully inflected adjective.

How do I form a yes/no question: “Is the lamp in the kitchen yellow?”

Use inversion (V1 rule): put the verb first, then the subject:
• Er lampen på kjøkkenet gul?
(er = “is,” lampen = “the lamp”)

How do I ask “What color is the lamp in the kitchen?” in Norwegian?

Norwegians say “has a color,” so you use Hvilken farge har …?
• Hvilken farge har lampen på kjøkkenet?
Literally: “Which color does the lamp on the kitchen have?”

If I start the sentence with På kjøkkenet, how does the word order change?

Norwegian follows the V2 rule (finite verb in second position). With På kjøkkenet first, it becomes:
• På kjøkkenet er lampen gul.
Here er (the verb) stays in second place, and lampen remains the subject.

How is kjøkkenet pronounced? What sound does kj make?

• kj is a voiceless palatal fricative [ç], similar to the German ich-sound.
• IPA: /ˈçøkːnə(ː)/
• Approximation for English speakers: “HYUH-ken-et.”