Breakdown of Han scorer når han spiller fotball i parken.
han
he
i
in
spille
to play
når
when
parken
the park
fotballen
the football
score
to score
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Questions & Answers about Han scorer når han spiller fotball i parken.
What does scorer mean in this sentence?
scorer is the present-tense form of the loanword å score (“to score”). Here it means “scores” or “nets a goal.”
Why does fotball have no article here? Isn’t football a countable noun?
In Norwegian sports names are treated as uncountable when you talk about playing them. You say “å spille fotball” (to play football) with no article. If you mean the physical ball, you’d say “en fotball.”
What does i parken literally mean, and why is it parken instead of just park?
i parken means “in the park.” Park is a masculine noun (en park). To say “the park” you add the definite ending -en, giving parken.
What’s the function of når in this sentence, and how is it different from da?
når means “when” in the sense of “whenever.” It’s used for repeated or general events. da is used for single events in the past. Since this sentence describes a habitual action, når is correct.
Can I omit the second han? Why is the subject repeated?
No. In Norwegian each clause normally needs its own subject. You repeat han so both clauses have a clear subject: Han scorer når han spiller…
What happens to the word order if I put the når-clause at the beginning?
When a subordinate clause (with når) comes first, the main clause must invert subject and verb: Når han spiller fotball i parken, scorer han.
How do I conjugate å score in other tenses?
Present: scorer
Past: scoret
Present perfect: har scoret
Future: skal score or kommer til å score
How do you pronounce scorer and spiller?
scorer: /ˈskuːrər/ (like English “score-er” with a Norwegian r)
spiller: /ˈspɪlːər/ (double “l” = long consonant: SPIL-ler)