Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Barnet sover under dynen uten å våkne. - The child sleeps under the duvet without waking up.

barn is a neuter noun meaning child.
In Norwegian, definiteness is usually marked with a suffix. So:
- Indefinite singular: et barn (a child)
- Definite singular: barnet (the child)
That -et is the neuter definite ending.

Why is it dynen and not dyna? Are both correct?

The noun dyne (duvet) is feminine, but in Bokmål you may treat many feminine nouns as masculine.
Both definite forms are correct in Bokmål:
- Feminine: dyna
- Masculine-style: dynen
Indefinite: ei dyne or en dyne; plural: dyner (definite plural: dynene).
In speech, dyna is very common; dynen often sounds a bit more formal or bookish.

Why is it sover and not something like er sover (is sleeping)?

Norwegian usually uses simple present for ongoing actions: sover covers both English is sleeping and sleeps.
You don’t form a progressive with å være (to be) + present participle.
sovende is an adjective (a sleeping child = et sovende barn), not a progressive verb form.

What does uten å mean here, and why not uten og?

uten å
- infinitive = without doing [something].
  - uten å våkne = without waking (up).
å is the infinitive marker (to). og means and, so uten og would be wrong here.

Can I use uten at instead of uten å?

Yes, but it changes the structure:
- uten å is followed by an infinitive and shares its subject with the main clause: Barnet sover … uten å våkne.
- uten at is followed by a finite clause with its own subject: Barnet sover under dynen uten at det våkner.
Use uten at if the subject is different: Han gikk uten at jeg så ham.

Is there a difference between våkne and våkne opp?

Both are commonly used and usually mean the same: to wake (up).
våkne opp can feel a bit more colloquial/emphatic; some prefer plain våkne in careful writing.
With negation/particles, opp may come later: Barnet våkner ikke opp.

What’s the difference between våkne and vekke?

våkne is intransitive: the subject wakes (by itself). Example: Barnet våkner.
vekke is transitive: someone wakes someone. Example: Jeg vekker barnet (I wake the child).

Could I start the sentence with the prepositional phrase Under dynen?

Yes. Norwegian main clauses have verb-second (V2) word order:
- Under dynen sover barnet uten å våkne.
When you front an adverbial like Under dynen, the finite verb (sover) still comes in second position, before the subject (barnet).

Where would I put ikke if I want to say “doesn’t wake up”?

Separate clauses: Barnet sover under dynen og våkner ikke.
With våkne opp: Barnet våkner ikke opp.
The uten å construction already expresses “without doing,” so you don’t add ikke there.

Is dyne the same as teppe?

No. dyne = duvet/comforter; teppe = blanket.
So under dynen = under the duvet, while under teppet = under the blanket.

Could I say Barnet ligger og sover under dynen?

Yes. ligger og + verb is common to emphasize a position plus an ongoing action:
- Barnet ligger og sover under dynen.
It’s a stylistic choice; sover alone is perfectly fine.

How do I pronounce the tricky sounds here (å, y, u, kn)?

å (in våkne) is like the vowel in English “law,” often long here: [vohk-neh].
y (in dyne/dynen) is a front rounded vowel; say an English “ee” while rounding your lips: roughly [DEE-neh(n)].
u (in uten, under) is a long/short “oo”-like sound, but with lips more rounded and tongue further forward than English “oo.”
kn (in våkne) usually keeps the k sound in many dialects: [kn]; some dialects may drop the k.

Why not den dynen for “the duvet”?

With a bare noun, Norwegian uses the suffixed definite form: dynen/dyna.
You use the “double definite” (den/det/de + adjective + definite noun) only when there’s an adjective: den varme dynen / den varme dyna = the warm duvet.
So den dynen (without an adjective) is not standard in Bokmål.

Is the word order between under dynen and uten å våkne fixed?

Both orders are grammatical, but Barnet sover under dynen uten å våkne is the most natural.
Barnet sover uten å våkne under dynen can sound slightly awkward or momentarily ambiguous (it may read as “without waking under the duvet” as a unit). Native speakers typically place the place phrase (under dynen) before the uten å phrase here.