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Questions & Answers about Stuen blir støvsuget i dag.
What is the function of blir in this sentence and how does it relate to the passive voice?
In Norwegian, bli (in the present tense blir) plus the past participle støvsuget forms the passive voice. So stuen blir støvsuget literally means “the living room is being vacuumed.” It corresponds to the English present continuous passive (“is being vacuumed”).
Why do we say støvsuget here, and what form of the verb is it?
Støvsuget is the past participle of støvsuge (“to vacuum”). In passive constructions with bli, you attach the past participle after bli:
blir + støvsuget = “is vacuumed/is being vacuumed.”
Could we alternatively say stuen støvsuges i dag? If so, what’s the difference?
Yes. That’s the -s passive (also called the infinitive passive): stuen støvsuges i dag means exactly the same (“The living room is being vacuumed today”). The -s form is often more formal or written, while bli + participle is more common in speech and emphasizes the action taking place.
Why is there no separate word for “the” before stuen?
Norwegian uses a suffixed definite article. Stue = “a living room,” and stuen = “the living room.” You don’t need a separate den or det when the article is attached to the noun.