Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg finner noen kontanter i en skjult lomme i lommeboken. - I find some cash in a hidden pocket in the wallet.

finner is the present‐tense form of the verb å finne, meaning “to find.” In English you might say “I find,” but in Norwegian you often use present tense where English might use past tense, depending on context. Here it could mean either “I find … (right now)” or “I found … (just then),” depending on the surrounding narrative.

Why is noen used before kontanter, and what does it mean?

noen is an indefinite determiner meaning “some” or “a few.” When you say noen kontanter, you mean “some cash” or “a few bills.” Without noen, kontanter would still mean “cash,” but noen emphasizes an unspecified amount.

Could I drop noen and just say Jeg finner kontanter i en skjult lomme …?

Yes, you can. Jeg finner kontanter … is grammatically fine and means “I find cash …” However, adding noen gives a nuance of “some cash” rather than just stating you find cash in general.

What is the difference between kontanter and penger?

penger is the general word for “money.” kontanter specifically refers to “cash” in the form of bills and coins. So noen kontanter zeroes in on physical money, not cards or digital funds.

Why is the adjective skjult not inflected (no -e ending) before lomme?

skjult is the past participle of å skjule (“to hide”), used attributively. Past participles in Norwegian Bokmål typically do not take an extra -e in common‐gender indefinite singular (en-words). Hence en skjult lomme—not en skjulte lomme.

Why are there two i prepositions in i en skjult lomme i lommeboken? Can they be merged?

Each i indicates “in.” The first locates lommen inside something hidden; the second locates that pocket in the wallet. You cannot merge them without losing clarity. If you drop one, the sentence becomes ambiguous about which object is hidden or where the cash is.

Could I use på instead of i for the wallet?

No. på means “on” or “at.” Since the pocket is inside the wallet, you must use i (“in”). på lommeboken would mean “on top of the wallet,” which changes the meaning completely.

Why is lommeboken written as one word, and what’s with the -en ending?

In Norwegian compounds, the first noun modifies the second: lomme + bok (“pocket” + “book”) = lommebok (“wallet”). The -en ending is the definite singular suffix in Bokmål: lommeboken = “the wallet.”

Could you reverse the order and say Jeg finner noen kontanter i lommeboken i en skjult lomme?

Grammatically it’s possible, but it sounds clumsy. Norwegian prefers to specify the most immediate container last: … i en skjult lomme i lommeboken flows more naturally. If you reverse it, the hidden‐pocket detail feels tacked on.

What’s the canonical word order here: subject, verb, object, adverbial?

Yes. The basic order is Subject (Jeg) – Verb (finner) – Object (noen kontanter) – Adverbial phrases (i en skjult lomme i lommeboken), exactly like in the example.