Telefonen lades ved ladestasjonen i biblioteket.

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Questions & Answers about Telefonen lades ved ladestasjonen i biblioteket.

What is lades, and how is the passive voice formed in Norwegian?

lades is the present‐tense passive (often called the mediopassive) of the verb lade (“to charge”). In Norwegian you can form a simple passive by adding ‐s directly to the infinitive:
ladelades (“is charged”)

How does lades compare to blir ladet?

Both express the present passive, but in different ways:
lades is the synthetic (-s) passive – shorter, common in writing.
blir ladet uses the auxiliary bli + past participle – the periphrastic passive.
Meaning is nearly identical; choice is a style preference.

Why are telefonen and ladestasjonen in the definite form?

We’re talking about a specific phone and a specific charging station (the ones relevant in context). In Norwegian the definite article attaches as a suffix:
telefon (indef.) → telefonen (def.)
ladestasjon (indef.) → ladestasjonen (def.)

What does ved ladestasjonen mean, and why use ved?
ved here means “by” or “at” (indicating location next to/at the station). You could also say på ladestasjonen, but ved emphasizes proximity or contact – you plug in the phone right next to the station.
Why use i biblioteket, and can we say på biblioteket instead?
i biblioteket literally means “inside the library.” Many Norwegians also use på biblioteket (“at the library”) when talking about being at an institution. Both are correct; is more idiomatic for “at” a public place, while i stresses being within its walls.
Where does the definite article appear in Norwegian nouns, and how does that differ from English?

In Norwegian the article is a suffix added to the noun:
bokboken (“the book”)
In English you place a separate word before the noun:
• the + book

Can we rewrite the sentence in the active voice?

Yes. For example:
(Vi) lader telefonen ved ladestasjonen i biblioteket.
Here vi (“we”) is the subject actively doing the charging.

What is the word ladestasjon composed of?
It’s a compound of lade (“to charge”) + stasjon (“station”). Together they form ladestasjon (“charging station”).