Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Tom peker med fingeren på kartet. - Tom points at the map with his finger.

peker is the present tense of å peke, which means to point. Conjugation in the present tense is regular: jeg peker, du peker, han/hun peker, etc.

Which preposition does å peke take when you point at something?

When you point at something in Norwegian, you use å peke på. The object you point at follows på, so peker på kartet means “points at the map.”

Why is fingeren in the definite form rather than en finger?

In Norwegian, when you talk about your own body parts in a general action, you typically use the definite form instead of an indefinite article plus your personal pronoun. So instead of med en finger or med fingeren, you say med fingeren (“with the (his) finger”).

Why is kartet in the definite form rather than et kart?

Here you’re referring to a specific map, so you use the definite singular kartet (“the map”). Indefinite et kart would mean “a map” in general, but context indicates it’s a particular map.

What are the grammatical genders of finger and kart, and how do their definite forms work?

finger is a masculine noun:
– Indefinite singular: en finger
– Definite singular: fingeren

kart is a neuter noun:
– Indefinite singular: et kart
– Definite singular: kartet

Why don’t we use a possessive pronoun like sin or hans with fingeren?

You can say Tom peker med fingeren sin på kartet to emphasize that it’s his own finger, but it’s redundant. In Norwegian, it’s normal to use the definite form of body parts without a possessive, because it’s understood it’s your (or his) finger.

Why is med necessary before fingeren? Could you say Tom peker fingeren på kartet?

The preposition med is required to express “with something.” Without med, the sentence is ungrammatical. So you must say peker med fingeren (“points with the finger”), not peker fingeren.

Can you change the word order to Tom peker på kartet med fingeren?

Yes. As long as the main verb peker stays in second position (the V2 rule), you can swap the order of the two prepositional phrases. Both
– Tom peker med fingeren på kartet.
– Tom peker på kartet med fingeren.
are correct.

Could you omit med fingeren and just say Tom peker på kartet?

Absolutely. Tom peker på kartet (“Tom points at the map”) is perfectly fine if you don’t need to specify that he’s using his finger.

Are there other verbs or constructions in Norwegian to express “to point”?

Yes. You can use å vise (“to show”) if the focus is on showing rather than merely pointing. For example:
– Tom viser på kartet. (“Tom shows on the map.”)
But for physical pointing, å peke with på is the most direct choice.