Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Han begynner å spille gitar på scenen.

In Norwegian, verbs like begynne ("to begin") must be followed by the infinitive marker å before another verb. It’s equivalent to English “to play.” You cannot drop it: Han begynner spille gitar is ungrammatical—you need Han begynner å spille gitar.

Why isn’t there an article before gitar (like en gitar)?

When you talk about playing instruments in general, Norwegian treats them like English does: you say spille gitar (“play guitar”), not spille en gitar. The indefinite article is omitted to express the activity rather than a specific instrument.

Could I say Han begynner å spille en gitar på scenen?

You could, but it shifts the meaning to “he begins to play a (particular) guitar on stage.” It’s grammatically correct but unusual unless you’re emphasizing which guitar he’s picking up.

What about på en scene instead of på scenen?

På en scene means “on a stage” in a general sense (“on a stage somewhere”), while på scenen uses the definite form to mean “on the stage” as a concept (“on stage,” the standard expression for performing).

Why do we use på scenen and not i scenen?

Norwegian idiomatically uses på for “on stage” or “on a platform.” Saying i scenen would imply being inside the physical structure, which isn’t how we talk about performing.

Why is scenen definite?

In many prepositional phrases—especially fixed expressions like på scenen—Norwegian uses the definite form. It conveys “the stage” as the established place for performing, similar to English “on stage.”

What is the word order in this sentence?

Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in second position. Here, Han (subject) is first, begynner (finite verb) is second, and the rest—å spille gitar på scenen (the infinitive clause and adverbial)—follows.