Breakdown of Etter middagen betaler sjåføren vår regningen fordi vi hjalp ham med bøtten.
vi
we
med
with
fordi
because
vår
our
hjelpe
to help
betale
to pay
middagen
the dinner
etter
after
ham
him
sjåføren
the driver
regningen
the bill
bøtten
the bucket
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Questions & Answers about Etter middagen betaler sjåføren vår regningen fordi vi hjalp ham med bøtten.
Why is betaler placed before sjåføren vår in the first clause?
In Norwegian main clauses you follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be the second element. Since the sentence starts with the adverbial Etter middagen, the verb betaler comes next and the subject sjåføren vår follows it.
What does the -en ending on middagen, regningen, and bøtten show?
That -en is the definite suffix for singular common-gender nouns. You have en middag → middagen (the dinner), en regning → regningen (the bill), and en bøtte → bøtten (the bucket).
Why do we say sjåføren vår instead of vår sjåfør?
Both are correct and mean “our driver.”
• vår sjåfør uses the possessive adjective before the noun.
• sjåføren vår uses the definite-form noun plus a separate possessive afterwards.
The choice is a matter of style or emphasis.
Why is ham used instead of han after hjalp?
Han is the subject form (“he”), while ham is the object form (“him”). Because he is the object of hjelpe, you must use ham.
What role does med play in hjalp ham med bøtten?
In Norwegian å hjelpe noen med noe literally means “to help someone with something.” Here med simply translates as “with.”
How does the conjunction fordi affect word order in the clause fordi vi hjalp ham med bøtten?
Subordinating conjunctions like fordi are not counted in the V2 rule. Inside that clause you still use standard SVO: vi (subject) hjalp (verb) ham (object) med bøtten.
Why is the possessive adjective vår and not vårt or våre?
Possessive adjectives agree with the noun’s gender and number. Sjåfør is a common-gender singular noun, so you use vår. You would use vårt for neuter singular nouns and våre for any plurals.
Should there be a comma before fordi?
In Norwegian it’s standard to omit the comma before subordinating conjunctions like fordi. Commas there are optional and only added if they improve readability.
Could we also say Sjåføren vår betaler regningen etter middagen?
Yes. Moving the subject to the front and the adverbial to the end is perfectly fine. You’d have Sjåføren vår betaler regningen etter middagen fordi vi hjalp ham med bøtten, with the same meaning but a slightly different emphasis.