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Barn lærer å vente til trafikklyset viser grønt.

Barn lærer å vente til trafikklyset viser grønt.
Children learn to wait until the traffic light shows green.
FromLesson 24inHardcore Norwegian
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Questions & Answers about Barn lærer å vente til trafikklyset viser grønt.

Why is there an å before vente?
In Norwegian, å is the infinitive marker, equivalent to English “to.” Whenever you attach a verb directly to another verb that governs it (like lærer “learns”), you need å + infinitive. Here lærer å vente literally means “learns to wait.”
What’s the difference between vente til and vente på?

• vente til = “wait until” (i.e. wait for some moment or condition to happen)
• vente på = “wait for” someone or something to arrive (e.g. vente på bussen = “wait for the bus”)

In our sentence, we’re waiting until the light turns green, so we use vente til.

Why is it trafikklyset and not trafikklys?

Norwegian marks the definite form of neuter nouns by adding -et.
• et trafikklys = “a traffic light”
• trafikklyset = “the traffic light”

Here we want the traffic light, so we attach -et.

Why is viser in the present tense?
In Norwegian, the present tense is used for general or habitual actions. The traffic light regularly “shows green” when it changes, so we use present tense viser (“shows”).
Could we say til det blir grønt instead of til trafikklyset viser grønt?

Yes. Barn lærer å vente til det blir grønt is perfectly natural.
• blir grønt = “becomes green,” focusing on the color change
• viser grønt = “shows green,” focusing on the signal display

Both convey the same idea; choosing one is a matter of style.

Why doesn’t barn change form in the plural?
Barn is an irregular noun that is identical in singular and plural (indefinite). You rely on context to tell if it’s one child or many. Here it clearly means “children.”
How do we know the subject-verb agreement with barn?
In present tense, Norwegian verbs have the same form for all persons and numbers (e.g. jeg lærer, du lærer, barn lærer, vi lærer). So whether barn is singular or plural, lærer stays the same.
Should there be a comma before til?
No. Subordinate clauses introduced by prepositions like til don’t require a comma in Norwegian. Commas are optional and often omitted in simple sentences.
Can we drop å after lærer and still say the sentence correctly?
No. In Norwegian, some verbs (including lære) require å when they’re directly followed by another verb in the infinitive. Omitting å would be ungrammatical.