Breakdown of Hun viser oss en felles garderobe for vesker og jakker.
hun
she
en
a
og
and
oss
us
for
for
jakken
the jacket
vise
to show
felles
shared
garderoben
the wardrobe
vesken
the bag
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Questions & Answers about Hun viser oss en felles garderobe for vesker og jakker.
What does viser mean in this sentence?
viser is the present tense of å vise, which means to show. So Hun viser oss translates to She shows us.
Why is it oss and not vi?
Oss is the object (accusative) form of vi (“we”). In English you say “She shows us,” not “She shows we.” Likewise, in Norwegian the direct or indirect object uses oss.
What exactly is en felles garderobe?
This is an indefinite noun phrase:
- en = a (indefinite article for common-gender nouns)
- felles = shared or common (adjective)
- garderobe = wardrobe or closet
Together: a shared/common wardrobe.
Why do we use the article en before felles garderobe?
In Norwegian Bokmål, singular common-gender nouns normally take en if indefinite. When you add an adjective, you still keep en before the adjective:
“en (article) + felles (adjective) + garderobe (noun).”
What does felles mean, and why does it come before the noun?
felles means shared or common. Norwegian adjectives usually precede the noun they modify (just like in English: “shared wardrobe”). Post-nominal adjectives are rare in Bokmål.
Why are vesker and jakker in the plural?
Because the wardrobe is meant to hold more than one bag or jacket.
In Norwegian, you use the indefinite plural form when talking about “bags” (vesker) and “jackets” (jakker) in general, without specifying a number.
Why is the preposition for used here? Could we use another preposition?
Here for expresses purpose: “a wardrobe for bags and jackets” (i.e. meant for storing them). You could also say garderobe til vesker og jakker, but for emphasizes “intended for.”
What is the gender of garderobe, and how can I tell?
garderobe is a common-gender noun (sometimes called masculine/feminine). In Bokmål both masculine and feminine nouns use en as the indefinite article. You check a dictionary; it will list garderobe m/f.
Is the word order always Subject–Verb–Object–Prepositional phrase in Norwegian?
Basic main-clause order in Norwegian is SVO (Subject–Verb–Object), followed by adverbials or prepositional phrases.
Here:
- Hun (S)
- viser (V)
- oss en felles garderobe (O)
- for vesker og jakker (prepositional phrase).
This order is quite fixed, though you can front elements for emphasis.
Could you rewrite the sentence in the definite form?
Yes. If you want to talk about the shared wardrobe, you’d say:
Hun viser oss den felles garderoben for vesker og jakker.
- den = definite article for common-gender nouns with adjectives
- garderoben = “the wardrobe.”