Barna kaster snøballer i hagen.

The children throw snowballs in the garden.

Breakdown of Barna kaster snøballer i hagen.

• barnet: the child
• i: in
• hagen: the garden
• snøballen: the snowball
• kaste: to throw

Questions & Answers about Barna kaster snøballer i hagen.

What does Barna mean, and why does it have an -a at the end?

Barna means the children. In Norwegian, barn is a neuter noun whose indefinite plural is the same as its singular (barn). To form the definite plural (“the children”), you add -a, giving barna.

What is the infinitive form of kaster, and do Norwegian verbs change with person or number?

The infinitive is å kaste (“to throw”). The present tense is formed by adding -r to the stem, yielding kaster. Norwegian verbs do not change according to subject or number, so you say jeg kaster, du kaster, de kaster, etc.

Can kaster mean both throws and is throwing, like English’s simple vs. continuous present?

Yes. Norwegian does not distinguish simple present and present continuous. Kaster can translate as either “throws” or “is throwing.” You can add adverbs like akkurat nå (“right now”) to emphasize an ongoing action.

Why is snøballer used instead of snøballene, and why is there no article before it?

Snøballer is the indefinite plural of en snøball (“a snowball”), so it simply means “snowballs.” Indefinite plural nouns in Norwegian do not take an article. The definite plural (“the snowballs”) would be snøballene.

Why is it i hagen rather than på hagen or i en hage?

Hagen is the definite singular of en hage (“a garden”). i hagen means “in the garden” (inside that specific garden). You use i for being within an area or enclosed space. På is used for surfaces or certain institutions (e.g. på bordet – “on the table,” på skolen – “at school”). Saying i en hage would mean “in a garden” (nonspecific).

Is the word order in Barna kaster snøballer i hagen the same as in English?

Yes. Norwegian main clauses follow V2 word order: the finite verb is in the second position. Here, Barna (subject) is first, kaster (verb) is second, followed by the object snøballer and the place phrase i hagen, matching the English S-V-O-place pattern.