Questions & Answers about Vi spiser kake på festen.
Why is there no article before kake?
In Norwegian, when talking about eating cake in a general sense, you use the bare noun. It’s similar to English “We eat cake.” If you want to refer to a specific cake, you add the definite suffix -en (kaken = “the cake”) or use the numeral article en kake (“a cake”).
Could I say Vi spiser en kake på festen?
Yes. Using en kake emphasizes that you’re eating one cake. That sentence means “We are eating a cake at the party.” But if you just say kake, it’s more general (“We’re eating cake”).
Why is festen in the definite form?
Norwegian marks definiteness with a suffix. fest (“party”) + -en = festen (“the party”). You use the definite form because you and your listener know which party you mean.
Why is på used instead of i or til?
The preposition på is used for events and occasions (fest, konsert, møte) to mean “at.” i would imply being inside an enclosed space, and til indicates movement toward something.
How is å spise conjugated in the present tense?