Barnevakten venter utenfor huset.

The babysitter is waiting outside the house.

Breakdown of Barnevakten venter utenfor huset.

• huset: the house
• vente: to wait
• utenfor: outside
• barnevakten: the babysitter

Questions & Answers about Barnevakten venter utenfor huset.

Why is it barnevakten and not barnevakt?

Norwegian marks definiteness with a suffix on the noun. Barnevakten = the babysitter (a specific one the speakers have in mind). If you’re introducing an unspecified babysitter, you’d use the indefinite form: En barnevakt venter utenfor huset.

Why does Norwegian use simple present venter to mean “is waiting”?

Norwegian simple present often covers ongoing actions. Barnevakten venter naturally means “the babysitter is waiting.” You do not say er venter. If you want to highlight the ongoing nature, you can say står og venter (“is standing and waiting”), but venter alone is normally enough.

Do I need på after vente here? Should it be venter på?

Use vente på when you mean “wait for” someone/something: Barnevakten venter på deg.
Here you’re stating location, so you just say venter utenfor huset (no på). If you want both, a natural word order is: Barnevakten venter på deg utenfor huset.

Why is it huset (definite) and not et hus?

Huset (the house) suggests a specific house known from context. If you mean “outside a house” in general, use the indefinite: utenfor et hus. In this sentence, both subject (barnevakten) and the place (huset) are definite because they’re specific.

Can I move utenfor huset to the front of the sentence?

Yes. Norwegian is a V2 language, so the finite verb must be in second position. You can say:

• Barnevakten venter utenfor huset. (neutral)
• Utenfor huset venter barnevakten. (location is in focus; note the verb venter still comes second)

What’s the difference between utenfor and foran?

• utenfor = outside (not inside the building or area).
• foran = in front of (at the front side/facade of something).
  So utenfor huset means outside the house (could be by the side, back, or front), while foran huset specifically means in front of the house.

Is utfor the same as utenfor?

No. utfor in standard Norwegian means “down/off” (e.g., kjørte utfor veien = drove off the road). For “outside,” use utenfor. Don’t write utfor huset when you mean “outside the house.”

What are the genders and forms of barnevakt and hus?

• barnevakt (m/f in Bokmål)
  • Indefinite sg.: en/ei barnevakt
  • Definite sg.: barnevakten / barnevakta
  • Indefinite pl.: barnevakter
  • Definite pl.: barnevaktene
• hus (neuter)
  • Indefinite sg.: et hus
  • Definite sg.: huset
  • Indefinite pl.: hus
  • Definite pl.: husene (also husa in Bokmål, less formal)

How is vente conjugated?

• Infinitive: å vente
• Present: venter (used for “is waiting”)
• Preterite (past): ventet
• Present perfect: har ventet
• Imperative: Vent!
• Present participle (rare in everyday speech): ventende

Any quick pronunciation tips for the words?

Approximate, East Norwegian:

• Barnevakten: BAR-neh-vak-ten. The sequence rn often becomes a single retroflex sound; the v is a soft [ʋ] (between v and w).
• venter: VEN-ter (short e, soft v).
• utenfor: OO-ten-for (Norwegian u is fronted [ʉ]; main stress on the first syllable).
• huset: HOO-set (long u [ʉː], final -et is a schwa-like sound, often weak).

Why is it barnevakt and not barnvakt?

It’s a compound of barn (child) + vakt (guard/attendant), and Norwegian often inserts a linking vowel -e- in compounds. Hence barne- + vakt → barnevakt. Other examples: barnehage (kindergarten), barnevogn (stroller).

Any Bokmål vs Nynorsk differences for this sentence?

• Bokmål: Barnevakten venter utenfor huset.
• Nynorsk: Barnevakta ventar utanfor huset. Differences: -en/-a in the definite form, venter/ventar, and utenfor/utanfor.

If the babysitter is a woman, does the noun change?

No. barnevakt is gender-neutral. You can optionally use feminine forms in Bokmål (ei barnevakt / barnevakta) if you prefer, but the noun itself doesn’t change meaning based on the person’s gender.

Are there synonyms for barnevakt?

• barnepasser (child carer; more formal/less common)
• barnepike (old-fashioned and female-marked)
• au pair (a specific arrangement, not just any babysitter) In everyday Norwegian, barnevakt is the standard term.

How do adjectives or possessives work with definite nouns like this?

Norwegian shows “double definiteness” with adjectives:

• Den nye barnevakten venter utenfor huset. (the new babysitter) With possessives, the possessive follows the definite noun:
• Barnevakten vår venter utenfor huset. (our babysitter) Don’t say den barnevakten vår in this case.