Breakdown of Hun trekker hunden inn i huset.
hun
she
hunden
the dog
huset
the house
i
in
trekke inn
to pull in
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Questions & Answers about Hun trekker hunden inn i huset.
What does the suffix -en in hunden indicate?
It marks the noun as definite (“the dog”). In Norwegian you normally add the definite article as a suffix on the noun. Since hund is a common-gender noun, the definite singular form is hunden.
Why is the suffix -et used in huset rather than -en?
Because hus is a neuter noun in Norwegian. Neuter nouns take -et as the definite article suffix, so et hus (a house) becomes huset (“the house”).
Why are there no separate words for “the” before hunden and huset?
Norwegian normally expresses definiteness by adding a suffix to the noun instead of using a separate article. So “the dog” is hunden, not the hund, and “the house” is huset, not the hus.
What role do inn and i play in inn i huset, and could I just say i huset?
inn is a directional adverb meaning “inwards/into.” i is the preposition “in.” Together inn i huset means “into the house.” If you only say i huset, it indicates location (“in the house”), not movement into it.
What’s the difference between inn i huset and inne i huset?
- inn i huset expresses motion into the house.
- inne i huset (with inne) indicates a static location inside the house.
Can I replace trekker with drar in this sentence?
Yes. Both å trekke and å dra can mean “to pull” or “to drag.” dra is more colloquial and very common in speech, while trekke can sound slightly more formal or imply sustained force.
Why does the verb trekker stay the same after hun, and how do you form other tenses?
In the present tense all persons (jeg, du, han/hun, vi…) take the same ending -r, so trekke becomes trekker regardless of subject. The past tense is trakk, and the past participle is trukket (as in har trukket).
Why is the word order Hun trekker hunden inn i huset, and can I put something else first?
Norwegian main clauses follow the V2-rule: the finite verb must appear in second position. Here Hun is first, trekker (the verb) is second. You can front another element, for example Inn i huset trekker hun hunden, but the verb trekker still stays in second position.
Could I say Hun trekker hunden til huset instead?
Yes, but then til means “to/towards,” so hun trekker hunden til huset would mean “she pulls the dog to the house” (to its exterior), not into it.
If I want to make the sentence negative, where does ikke go?
To negate the action, place ikke after the verb (and usually after the object if you want to negate the entire clause). For example:
Hun trekker ikke hunden inn i huset.