Log inSign up

Hele kvartalet pyntes med lys til jul.

Hele kvartalet pyntes med lys til jul.
The whole block is decorated with lights for Christmas.
FromLesson 20inHardcore Norwegian

Questions & Answers about Hele kvartalet pyntes med lys til jul.

Why is kvartalet in the definite form (with -et) instead of just kvartal?
In Norwegian, when you use words like hele (“whole”) before a noun, that noun must be in the definite form. So kvartal (“a block”) becomes kvartalet (“the block”). Together hele kvartalet means “the whole block.”
Why is hele used here? Couldn’t we say alle?
Hele is used with singular nouns to mean “whole” or “entire” (e.g. hele huset, “the whole house”). Alle is used with plural nouns to mean “all” (e.g. alle husene, “all the houses”). Since kvartalet is singular, we use hele.
What does pyntes mean, and what is its infinitive form?
Pyntes is the passive present tense of å pynte (“to decorate”). In this sentence, it means “is decorated” or “gets decorated.”
Could we say blir pyntet instead of pyntes?
Yes. Blir pyntet is another passive construction (using blir + past participle). Hele kvartalet blir pyntet med lys til jul means the same thing; pyntes just sounds a bit more formal and concise.
Why is there no “by whom” after pyntes? How do you express the agent?

In Norwegian passive sentences, the agent (the doer) is optional if it’s not important. If you need to mention it, you use av. For example:
Hele kvartalet pyntes med lys til jul av kommunen
(“The whole block is decorated with lights for Christmas by the municipality.”)

What does med lys mean, and why is med used?
Med means “with.” Here med lys indicates the instrument or means—“with lights.” It tells you what they’re using to decorate.
Why til jul and not for jul or i julen?

Til jul here means “for Christmas” or “in time for Christmas.”
I julen would mean “during the Christmas season.”
For jul is not idiomatic in Norwegian in this context.

Can we move til jul to the front of the sentence? If so, what happens to word order?

Yes. Norwegian follows the V2 (verb-second) rule: the verb must be the second element. So you can say:
Til jul pyntes hele kvartalet med lys.
Notice pyntes comes right after til jul (the first element).

How would you say this sentence in the active voice?

You could say:
Vi pynter hele kvartalet med lys til jul.
(“We decorate the whole block with lights for Christmas.”)
You can even drop vi if the subject is obvious from context.

AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Norwegian grammar?”
Norwegian grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Norwegian

Master Norwegian — from Hele kvartalet pyntes med lys til jul to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.

  • ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Start learning Norwegian freeBrowse the full course