Hagen dufter av blomster om morgenen.

The garden smells of flowers in the morning.

Breakdown of Hagen dufter av blomster om morgenen.

• morgenen: the morning
• av: of
• hagen: the garden
• om: in
• blomsten: the flower
• dufte: to smell

Questions & Answers about Hagen dufter av blomster om morgenen.

Why is hagen in the definite form rather than just hage?

In Norwegian you mark definiteness by adding a suffix. Hage means “a garden,” while hagen means “the garden.” Here the speaker refers to a specific garden, so the definite form hagen is used.

What does the phrase dufte av mean, and why do we use av?

Dufte av literally means “to smell of” or “to give off the scent of.” The verb dufte requires the preposition av to introduce the source of the fragrance. Thus hagen dufter av blomster = “the garden smells of flowers.”

What’s the difference between dufte and lukte when talking about smells?

Lukte focuses on the act of smelling something (or having an odor)—it can be good, bad or neutral. Dufte emphasises emitting a (usually pleasant) scent. For example:

• Hagen lukter godt? = “Does the garden smell good?” (you’re checking the odor)
• Hagen dufter godt. = “The garden smells nice.” (it gives off a pleasant fragrance)

Why is there no article before blomster, and why is it plural?

Norwegian uses the indefinite plural form when speaking about things in general. Blomster = “flowers” (in general). If you meant specific flowers, you’d use the definite plural blomstene (“the flowers”).

Why do we say om morgenen, and why is morgenen in the definite form?

Time‐of‐day expressions for habitual actions in Norwegian are built with om + the definite form of the noun. So om morgenen = “in the morning(s).” Here morgen is made definite (→ morgenen) because that’s the fixed pattern.

Could I say hver morgen instead of om morgenen?

Yes. Hver morgen means “every morning” or “each morning.” You could say:
Hver morgen dufter hagen av blomster.

Can I move om morgenen to the beginning of the sentence? What happens to word order?

Yes. Norwegian follows a V2 rule (the finite verb must be in second position). If you start with om morgenen, you invert the subject and verb:
Om morgenen dufter hagen av blomster.

How do I turn this statement into a question?

For a yes/no question invert the verb and subject:
Dufter hagen av blomster om morgenen?
For a question word, put it first and keep the verb in second position:
Hvorfor dufter hagen av blomster om morgenen?