Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Glassene er små, men de står trygt til høyre for tallerkenene. - The glasses are small, but they stand safely to the right of the plates.

In Norwegian, glass is both the indefinite singular and indefinite plural form. To make it definite plural (“the glasses”), you add -ene, giving glassene.

Why is the adjective små not småe or småene before glassene?

Here små is in predicative position (after the verb er), so it uses the base form and doesn’t change for definiteness or number. If it were attributive (before the noun), you would say de små glassene, and små would take an -e ending.

What role does trygt play here, and why isn’t it trygge?

Trygt is an adverb modifying står, meaning “stand safely.” Adverbs in Norwegian are indeclinable. Trygge would be the plural definite adjective (“safe”), used directly with a noun (e.g. de trygge glassene).

How does til høyre for work, and why is for necessary?

Til høyre for is a fixed prepositional phrase meaning “to the right of.” It consists of til (to) + høyre (right) + for (of). You can’t drop for; it’s required to link the direction to the object.

Why is tallerkenene used instead of tallerkener?

Tallerkener is the indefinite plural (“plates” in general). Tallerkenene is the definite plural (“the plates”), used when referring to a specific set of plates.

Why do we repeat the subject with de in the second clause?

Even though glassene is the subject in the first clause, Norwegian repeats the subject in coordinated clauses. De refers back to glassene to keep the sentence clear.

Why do we use står instead of ligger for glassene?

Norwegian distinguishes å stå (“to stand”) from å ligge (“to lie”). Vertical objects (like upright glasses) står; horizontal objects (like flat plates) ligger.