Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Mange besøkende kommer for å se utstillingen av den lokale kunstneren. - Many visitors come to see the exhibition by the local artist.

Mange means “many.” You use it with plural, countable nouns. For example, mange besøkende = “many visitors.” You would not say mange vann (“many water”) because vann is uncountable.

Why doesn’t besøkende have a plural ending like -er?

Besøkende here is a present-participle noun (“visitors,” literally “those visiting”). Participles used as nouns in Norwegian are invariable, so the form stays besøkende for both singular and plural. You tell it’s plural because of the context or a preceding word like mange.

What is the structure kommer for å se?

Kommer for å se means “come to see.”
• kommer = “come/are coming” (present tense)
• for å + infinitive is the standard way to express purpose (“in order to …”).
So kommer for å se literally “come in order to see.”

Why is there an å before se?

In Norwegian the infinitive form of most verbs requires å (like English “to”). After for (showing purpose), you need å before the verb:
“for å se” = “to see.” Without å, you’d have no infinitive marker.

What does the -en at the end of utstillingen indicate?

The -en suffix is the definite article (“the”) attached to the noun.
• utstilling = “exhibition” (indefinite)
• utstillingen = “the exhibition” (definite singular)

Norwegian marks definiteness by adding a suffix to the noun rather than a separate word in this case.

Why is the preposition av used in utstillingen av den lokale kunstneren? Could you use something else?

av here means “by” and introduces the agent of the exhibition: “the exhibition by the local artist.” You could rephrase using the possessive/genitive with -s:
“utstillingen av den lokale kunstneren” ⇄ “den lokale kunstnerens utstilling.”
Both are correct, but av is a very common way to point out who created or owns something.

Why does den lokale kunstneren have both den and the -en ending?

When you have a definite noun phrase with an adjective in front, Norwegian uses this pattern:
1) A separate definite article (den/det/de)
2) The adjective with a definite ending (lokale)
3) The noun with its definite suffix (kunstner + -en)

So den lokale kunstneren = “the local artist.” If there were no adjective, you would just say kunstneren.

Why does lokale end in -e here?

Adjectives take an -e ending when they come before any definite noun (with den, det, de) or before all plural nouns. Examples:
• den gamle bilen (“the old car”)
• de gamle husene (“the old houses”)
Since kunstneren is definite and preceded by den, lokal becomes lokale.

Could you say “the local artist’s exhibition” instead?

Yes. You can use the genitive -s on “kunstneren”:
den lokale kunstnerens utstilling.
That means exactly the same as utstillingen av den lokale kunstneren, but it puts the possession marker on the artist rather than using av.