Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Hun kjøpte en skinnende sølvskje som en overraskelse til barnet. - She bought a shiny silver spoon as a surprise for the child.

skinnende is the present participle of å skinne (to shine), used here as an adjective meaning “shiny.” In Norwegian Bokmål, adjectives modifying an indefinite singular common-gender noun take the bare form (no –e or –t). Since sølvskje is common gender and indefinite here, skinnende stays uninflected.

How is the compound noun sølvskje formed, and why is it written as one word?

Norwegian often combines two nouns into a single compound. The first noun (sølv = silver) describes the second noun, the “head” (skje = spoon). Putting them together gives sølvskje (“silver-spoon”) as one word, with the main meaning carried by the last element.

Why does the sentence use two instances of en (in en skinnende sølvskje and en overraskelse)?

Each indefinite singular common-gender noun needs its own article en. You have one en for skinnende sølvskje (“a shiny silver spoon”) and another en for overraskelse (“a surprise”).

What role does som play in som en overraskelse?

Here som means “as.” The phrase som en overraskelse literally translates to “as a surprise,” functioning as an adverbial of purpose—explaining why she bought the spoon.

Could you express the same idea using for å + infinitive instead of som en overraskelse?

Yes. You can say: • Hun kjøpte en skinnende sølvskje for å overraske barnet. This uses for å overraske (“in order to surprise”) plus the infinitive, which is another common way to express purpose in Norwegian.

Why is barnet in its definite form rather than et barn?

barn is a neuter noun. Its definite singular form is barnet (“the child”). Since the sentence refers to a specific child who receives the gift, you use the definite form til barnet (“to the child”). If you meant an unspecified child, you would say til et barn.

Why is the preposition til used in til barnet, and could you use for barnet instead?

til marks direction or recipient (“to someone”). It’s the normal choice for giving or dedicating something. for can sometimes indicate beneficiary, but in a gift-giving context, til barnet is far more natural. for barnet would sound odd unless you were talking about doing something on the child’s behalf.

How do you pronounce kjøpte, skinnende, and sølvskje?

• kjøpte: /ˈçœptə/ – the initial kj- is the voiceless palatal fricative [ç], ø like the “u” in “burn” (but rounded).
• skinnende: /ˈʃɪnːəndə/ – sk- before i is [ʃ], double nn gives a long [nː].
• sølvskje: /ˈsœlvʃjɛ/ – v is [v], sj before e is [ʃ].

Where do adjectives go in a Norwegian noun phrase, and is skinnende in the correct position here?

In Bokmål, adjectives come before the noun they modify. If you have multiple adjectives, they all precede the noun: en skinnende sølvskje (“a shiny silver spoon”). You cannot place skinnende after sølvskje without turning it into a separate clause (e.g., sølvskjeen som skinte).

Can you omit the article en in som en overraskelse, saying som overraskelse instead, and does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can say som overraskelse. Omitting en makes it slightly more idiomatic and a bit more abstract:
• som en overraskelse emphasizes “as one (distinct) surprise.”
• som overraskelse simply means “as a surprise” in general. Both are grammatically correct and often interchangeable.