Katten sover på vinduskarmen.

to sleep

Breakdown of Katten sover på vinduskarmen.

• på: on
• katten: the cat
• vinduskarmen: the windowsill

Questions & Answers about Katten sover på vinduskarmen.

Why is there no separate word for “the” before katten?

In Norwegian, the definite article is suffixed to the noun rather than placed before it.

• katten = “the cat.”
• If you wanted “a cat,” you’d use the indefinite form en katt (“a cat”).

What gender is katt, and how do I know?

Katt is a common‐gender noun (sometimes called “masculine/feminine” or just “common” in Bokmål). Most common-gender nouns take the indefinite article en and add -en in the definite singular:

• Indefinite: en katt (“a cat”)
• Definite: katten (“the cat”)

Why is the sentence word order Katten sover på vinduskarmen (subject–verb–place)? Can it change?

The basic Norwegian declarative word order is SVO (Subject–Verb–Object/Adverbial). Here, på vinduskarmen is a place adverbial. You can front it for emphasis:

• På vinduskarmen sover katten. (“On the windowsill the cat sleeps.”)
  But the neutral order is Katten sover på vinduskarmen.

Why is på used here, and does it always mean “on”?