Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Verden føles liten når vi snakker med venner på nettet. - The world feels small when we talk with friends on the internet.

In Norwegian føles is an impersonal verb meaning “to be felt” (similar to English “feels”). The subject is verden (“the world”) itself, so you say verden føles liten (“the world feels small”). If you used føler, you’d need a person as the subject, for example jeg føler meg liten (“I feel small”).

Why is liten ending with “-en” instead of “-t”?

Adjectives in Norwegian agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe. Verden is a common‐gender singular noun (an “en‐word”), so you use the common‐gender form liten. Neuter nouns (an “et‐word”) take -t: e.g. et hus lite (although we’d normally say et lite hus).

Is verden definite or indefinite? Where’s the article?

Norwegian often forms the definite singular by adding a suffix instead of a separate article. For the common‐gender noun en verden (“a world”), the definite form is verden (world + -en). So verden here actually means “the world.”

Why doesn’t når cause the verb to move to first position like other adverbs?

Når is a subordinating conjunction (“when”), not an adverb. In subordinate clauses introduced by når, the finite verb stays in second position: når vi snakker. Only main‐clause adverbs (like i dag, aldri, etc.) trigger inversion.

Why is it snakker med venner and not snakker til venner?

When you talk or speak with someone in Norwegian, you use med (“with”): snakke med noen. Snakke til noen can mean “speak to someone” in the sense of addressing them (like giving a speech), but for casual conversation you say snakker med.

What’s the difference between snakke, prate and chatte?

All three mean “to talk”:

snakke is the general, most common verb.
prate is slightly more informal, like “chat” or “jabber.”
chatte is borrowed from English and specifically means “to chat online.” In our sentence you could replace snakker with chatter for a more modern, informal feel.

What does på nettet literally mean, and why på?

På nettet literally means “on the net.” Norwegian uses på (“on”) with digital platforms or networks: på TV, på internett, på mobil, på jobb. Saying i nettet would suggest something physically inside a net, which isn’t what we mean.

Could you say vennene instead of venner?

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly. Venner is the indefinite plural (“friends” in general). Vennene is the definite plural (“the friends”), referring to a specific group you already know. So snakker med vennene på nettet would mean “we talk with those/the specific friends online.”