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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?
For regular verbs, add -r to the infinitive. å spise (“to eat”) becomes spiser in the present for all persons: jeg spiser, du spiser, vi spiser, etc.
What is the word order in “Vi spiser kake på festen”?
Norwegian main clauses follow: Subject – Verb – Object – Adverbial. So:
Subject: Vi
Verb: spiser
Object: kake
Adverbial of place: på festen
How do you pronounce spiser?
It’s pronounced SPEE-ser (IPA: [ˈspiːsər]). The first i is like English “ee” in “see,” and the er is a relaxed schwa sound [ə].