Breakdown of Sønnen drikker melk før han legger seg.
han
he
drikke
to drink
før
before
legge seg
to go to bed
Questions & Answers about Sønnen drikker melk før han legger seg.
Why is sønnen in the definite form instead of en sønn?
In Norwegian, the definite article is attached as a suffix to the noun. So sønnen = the son. If you used en sønn, it would mean a son. Here we refer to a specific son, so we use the definite form.
Why is the verb drikker spelled with two k’s in the present tense?
The infinitive å drikke has a short vowel i in its stem. When forming the present tense, you add -er, but you double the consonant to keep the vowel short, giving drikker.
Why doesn’t melk have an article before it?
Melk is an uncountable (mass) noun in Norwegian, so you normally don’t use an indefinite article. You just say drikker melk for drinks milk. If you want to specify an amount, you could say drikker et glass melk for drinks a glass of milk or drikker litt melk for drinks some milk.
What does før mean here, and how does it function in the sentence?
Før is a conjunction meaning before. It introduces a subordinate clause (før han legger seg = before he goes to bed). In Norwegian subordinate clauses, you keep the normal order: Conjunction + Subject + Verb + Rest.