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Breakdown of Foreldrene deltar på møtet, og barna blir med naboen.
barnet
the child
og
and
møtet
the meeting
på
in
naboen
the neighbor
forelderen
the parent
delta
to participate
bli med
to go with
Questions & Answers about Foreldrene deltar på møtet, og barna blir med naboen.
What does blir med actually mean? Is it "becomes with" or "stays with"?
bli med is a fixed expression meaning "to come/go along (with), to accompany, to join." In the sentence it means the children go with the neighbor. By itself, bli can mean "become" or "stay," but with med it does not mean "stay with." For "stay with (someone)," use bli hos: Barna blir hos naboen = "The children stay at the neighbor’s (place)." Another "stay" expression is bli igjen = "stay behind."
Why is it på møtet and not i møtet or til møtet?
- With delta, på is very common for events: delta på møtet/kurset/seminaret = attend.
- delta i also exists and often highlights taking part in the content: delta i diskusjonen; many also say delta i møtet. Both på and i are acceptable with meetings, but på møtet is very common and idiomatic.
- til marks direction and is not used with delta. Use gå/drar til møtet ("go to the meeting") for motion towards it.
You can also say være på møtet ("be/attend the meeting").
Why are all the nouns definite: Foreldrene, barna, møtet, naboen?
They refer to specific, known people/things. Norwegian usually marks definiteness with a suffix:
- foreldre → foreldrene = the parents (definite plural)
- barn → barna = the children (definite plural; note the irregular plural: indefinite is also barn)
- møte → møtet = the meeting (definite singular, neuter)
- nabo → naboen = the neighbor (definite singular)
With adjectives, you also use a separate definite article (double definiteness): de snille barna, den hyggelige naboen.
Does og change word order? Why is it barna blir med, not blir barna med?
og simply links two main clauses. Each clause uses main‑clause word order with the verb in second position (V2). Here the subject comes first, then the finite verb:
- Foreldrene deltar på møtet.
- Barna blir med naboen.
For a yes/no question you invert: Blir barna med naboen? If you front another element, the verb is still second: I morgen blir barna med naboen.
Is the comma before og necessary here?
No. In modern Norwegian you normally do not put a comma before og when it links two main clauses. You can write: Foreldrene deltar på møtet og barna blir med naboen. Some writers insert a comma to mark a pause, but most style guides recommend leaving it out.
How do delta and bli conjugate?
- å delta (to participate): present deltar, preterite deltok, past participle har deltatt
- å bli (become/stay/turn; in bli med, "come along"): present blir, preterite ble, past participle har blitt
Why use bli med instead of gå or dra?
bli med emphasizes accompanying someone, regardless of how you travel. It’s the default way to say "come along": Blir du med? = "Wanna come along?" You can add a destination: Bli med til butikken = "Come with me to the store." gå ("walk/go") and dra ("go/leave") describe the motion itself, not the idea of tagging along.
When do I use bli med på or bli med i?
- bli med + person: Bli med naboen = go with the neighbor.
- bli med på + activity/event: Bli med på leken/dugnaden/møtet = join the game/clean‑up/the meeting.
- bli med i + group/organization: Bli med i klubben = join the club.
Where does negation ikke go in a sentence like this?
After the finite verb and after the subject in a neutral statement:
- Foreldrene deltar ikke på møtet, og barna blir ikke med naboen.
With a fronted element, the verb stays second and ikke follows the subject:
- I morgen blir barna ikke med naboen. Putting ikke before the subject (I morgen blir ikke barna med …) emphasizes that it’s not the children (contrastive focus).
How do I say this with pronouns (him/her/them)?
Place the object pronoun after med:
- Barna blir med ham/henne/dem. You can also add a destination: Barna blir med ham til skolen.
Does med naboen mean "to the neighbor’s place"? How do I say "stay at the neighbor’s"?
med means "with (together with)," not "to." blir med naboen = go along with the neighbor (wherever they go). To show destination, add til: Barna blir med naboen til butikken. To say "stay at the neighbor’s (home)," use bli hos: Barna blir hos naboen.
Are there other natural ways to say "attend the meeting"?
Yes:
- være på møtet = be at the meeting (often used to mean attend)
- møte opp (på møtet) = show up (at the meeting)
- være med på møtet = be part of the meeting
- delta (på/i) møtet is the most neutral/formal for "attend/participate."
How do you pronounce the sentence?
Very rough guide:
- Foreldrene ≈ fo-RELL-dreh-neh
- deltar ≈ DEL-tar
- på ≈ paw
- møtet ≈ MUR-teh (ø like German ö)
- og ≈ oh
- barna ≈ BAR-nah
- blir ≈ bleer
- med ≈ meh
- naboen ≈ NAH-boo-en
Stress falls on content words: fo-RELDRE-ne DEL-tar på MØ-te, og BAR-na BLIR med NA-bo-en.
Could I use mens instead of og to show contrast?
Yes. mens = "while" and adds a contrastive nuance: Foreldrene deltar på møtet, mens barna blir med naboen. This highlights that the two things happen at the same time but are different.
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