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Breakdown of Den nye bokhyllen står under kjellervinduet for å spare plass i stuen.
å
to
i
in
ny
new
plassen
the space
for
in order to
spare
to save
under
under
den
the
stå
to stand
stuen
the living room
bokhyllen
the bookshelf
kjellervinduet
the basement window
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Questions & Answers about Den nye bokhyllen står under kjellervinduet for å spare plass i stuen.
Why do we have both the article and the ending in Den nye bokhyllen? Isn’t one definiteness marker enough?
Norwegian uses “double definiteness” when an adjective comes before a definite noun. Pattern:
- den/det/de + adjective with -e + noun with definite ending Examples:
- den store bilen, det gamle huset, de små barna So you need both den and -en in Den nye bokhyllen.
Why is the adjective nye and not ny?
In the definite form (and in all plurals), adjectives take the ending -e.
- Indefinite singular: en ny bokhylle
- Definite singular: den nye bokhyllen
- Indefinite plural: nye bokhyller
- Definite plural: de nye bokhyllene
Is Den nye bokhylla also correct? What’s the difference between bokhyllen and bokhylla?
Yes. In Bokmål, many feminine nouns can use either the “feminine” endings or the “common gender/masculine” ones:
- Indefinite: ei/en bokhylle
- Definite: bokhylla/bokhyllen With an adjective: den nye bokhylla / den nye bokhyllen. Both are correct; -a is often more colloquial, -en more formal. Be consistent within a text.
Why use står instead of er?
Norwegian prefers posture/location verbs for where things are:
- står (stands): objects upright on a base (a bookcase, a bottle)
- ligger (lies): objects lying horizontally (a book on a table)
- henger (hangs): suspended objects (a picture, a wall shelf)
- er is more general and sounds less natural in place descriptions here. So bokhyllen står is the idiomatic choice.
If it’s a wall-mounted shelf under the window, would the verb change?
Yes, you’d typically use henger for a shelf on the wall:
- Hylla henger under kjellervinduet. Note: bokhylle can mean a piece of furniture (bookcase). For a single wall shelf, hylle is the common word.
Could I use nedenfor instead of under?
Not here. under means directly underneath/beneath (and also “during” in other contexts). nedenfor means “below/further down” (often on a slope or list), not physically right under something.
- Correct here: står under kjellervinduet
- Example of nedenfor: Hagen ligger nedenfor huset.
Why does kjellervinduet end with -et and not -en?
Because vindu is a neuter noun: et vindu → vinduet. In the compound:
- kjeller (basement) + vindu (window) → kjellervindu
- Definite neuter: kjellervinduet
Could I say kjeller vindu or kjellerens vindu instead of kjellervinduet?
Standard Norwegian writes compounds as one word: kjellervindu. Hyphens are rarely needed. kjellerens vindu is grammatical but sounds odd and overly formal here. A natural alternative is vinduet i kjelleren (“the window in the basement”).
Why is it for å spare plass and not just å spare plass or til å spare plass?
- for å + infinitive expresses purpose (“in order to”).
- å alone is just the infinitive marker after certain verbs (e.g., prøver å spare).
- til å appears after words that require til (e.g., bruke noe til å …, lett å … without til). Here, purpose is intended, so for å spare plass is the idiomatic choice.
Why is plass indefinite (not plassen)?
Because this is about saving space in general (a mass/uncountable sense), not a specific, identified space. Spare plass is a fixed, idiomatic expression. Spare plassen would mean “save the particular space” already known in the context.
Is i stuen the only correct option? What about i stua or på stua?
- stue is feminine: ei/en stue → stua/stuen (both correct).
- i stua is very common in everyday Bokmål; i stuen is a bit more formal.
- på stua is dialectal; standard Bokmål uses i for rooms: i stua/stuen.
How does word order change if I front something like the purpose phrase or the place phrase?
Norwegian main clauses are V2 (the finite verb is in second position).
- Fronted purpose: For å spare plass i stuen står den nye bokhyllen under kjellervinduet.
- Fronted place: Under kjellervinduet står den nye bokhyllen for å spare plass i stuen.
Where would ikke go if I want to negate the sentence?
- To negate the location: Den nye bokhyllen står ikke under kjellervinduet.
- To negate the purpose: Den nye bokhyllen står under kjellervinduet, men ikke for å spare plass.
Position ikke right after the verb in main clauses; if you want to negate only the purpose, place ikke inside the purpose phrase as shown.