Moren bærer barnet på ryggen.

the child

Breakdown of Moren bærer barnet på ryggen.

• på: on
• bære: to carry
• moren: the mother

Questions & Answers about Moren bærer barnet på ryggen.

Why is moren in the definite form instead of mor?

In Norwegian Bokmål the definite article is a suffix on the noun.

• Indefinite singular “a mother” can be mor or en mor.
• Definite singular “the mother” is moren.
  Here we’re talking about a specific mother, so we use moren.

Why is barnet used instead of barn or et barn?

barn is a neuter noun.

• Indefinite singular is et barn (“a child”).
• Definite singular is barnet (“the child”).
  Since the sentence refers to a particular child, you use the definite form barnet.

How do you form the present tense bærer from å bære?

The infinitive is å bære (“to carry”). To get present tense:

1. Remove å.
2. Add -r to the verb stem.
   So bære → bærer (“carries” / “is carrying”).
   Example conjugation:
   
   • jeg bærer
   • du bærer
   • hun/han bærer
   • vi bærer, etc.

What does på ryggen literally mean, and why is på used?