Hvor mye koster den blå kjolen ved inngangen?

How much does the blue dress by the entrance cost?

Breakdown of Hvor mye koster den blå kjolen ved inngangen?

• inngangen: the entrance
• den: the
• ved: by
• blå: blue
• kjolen: the dress
• koste: to cost
• hvor mye: how much

Questions & Answers about Hvor mye koster den blå kjolen ved inngangen?

Why do we have both den and the -en on kjolen? Isn’t that “double” definiteness?

Yes—Norwegian uses “double definiteness” when a definite noun has an adjective. So:

• Indefinite: en blå kjole (a blue dress)
• Definite without adjective: kjolen (the dress)
• Definite with adjective: den blå kjolen (the blue dress)

The preposed article (den/det/de) is required in front of the adjective, and the noun still takes its definite ending (-en/-a/-et/-ene).

Why is it den and not det?

Because kjole is a masculine noun in Bokmål:

• Masculine/feminine: den
• Neuter: det
• Plural: de

So you get den blå kjolen. If the noun were neuter (e.g., hus), it would be det blå huset.

Could I say den blåe kjolen instead of den blå kjolen?

Both are accepted in Bokmål. With definite nouns and in the plural, most adjectives take -e, but some short ones like blå can appear both as blå and blåe in these forms. Today, den blå kjolen is more common; den blåe kjolen is also correct but sounds a bit more old-fashioned or dialectal to many.

Why is it hvor mye and not hvor mange?

Use:

• hvor mye for uncountable quantities or amounts (like money): Hvor mye koster …?
• hvor mange for countable things: Hvor mange kjoler har du? (How many dresses do you have?)

Is Hva koster den blå kjolen …? also correct? Any difference from Hvor mye koster …?

Yes, Hva koster …? is perfectly natural and common. Both mean essentially the same in this context:

• Hva koster …? = “What does … cost?”
• Hvor mye koster …? = “How much does … cost?” In practice, both are used to ask for the price.

Why does the verb koster come before the subject phrase den blå kjolen?

Norwegian main-clause questions follow V2 (verb-second) word order. With a question word, the finite verb usually comes right after it:

• Hvor mye koster den blå kjolen …? Not: ❌ Hvor mye den blå kjolen koster …? (That word order is used in an embedded/indirect question.)

So when do I use Hvor mye den blå kjolen koster?

In indirect questions:

• Kan du si meg hvor mye den blå kjolen ved inngangen koster? (Can you tell me how much the blue dress by the entrance costs?) Here there’s no subject–verb inversion inside the indirect question.

Why ved inngangen and not på/i?

• ved means “by/at/near,” indicating proximity without being inside or on something: ved inngangen = by the entrance.
• i inngangen would literally mean inside the entrance area (odd in most shopping contexts).
• på inngangen means “on the entrance” (unnatural). Alternatives:
• nær inngangen (near the entrance)
• ved siden av inngangen (beside the entrance)

Why is it inngangen (definite) and not en inngang (indefinite)?

You’re referring to a specific, known entrance (e.g., the entrance to this store), so the definite form is natural: ved inngangen = at/by the entrance (the one we both know). ved en inngang would mean “by an entrance” (some entrance or other).

What are the forms of kjole?

• Indefinite singular: en kjole
• Definite singular: kjolen
• Indefinite plural: kjoler
• Definite plural: kjolene Note: kjole is masculine in Bokmål.

How does blå agree with different nouns?

• Indefinite singular masc/fem: blå (en blå kjole)
• Indefinite singular neuter: blått (et blått skjerf)
• Plural (any gender): blå/blåe (blå sko / blåe sko)
• Definite with article: den/det/de blå (blåe)
  • noun in definite: den blå kjolen, det blå huset, de blå kjolene

How do I pronounce tricky parts like hvor, kjolen, and blå?

• hvor: The h is silent in most accents; sounds like “vor.” V is often a soft labiodental approximant [ʋ].
• koster: The o is like English “cost” (open o). Stress on the first syllable: KOS-ter.
• kjolen: The kj is a soft voiceless palatal sound [ç], similar to German “ich.” Smile slightly and make a soft h-ish sound high in the mouth: [ˈçûːlən] (dialectal variation exists).
• blå: Long vowel, like “blaw” with a rounded o/a sound [blɔː].
• ved: Long e [veː].
• inngangen: ng is [ŋ] (as in “sing”), stress on the first syllable: INN-gangen.

How would I typically answer this question?

Common patterns:

• Refer to the dress: Den koster 500 kroner.
• Neutral/dummy subject (also common): Det koster 500 kroner. Avoid: ❌ Den er 500 kroner (use koster for price).

Does den here mean “the” or “that”?

In den blå kjolen, den functions as the required definite article with an adjective (“double definiteness”), so it usually means “the.” For a clear demonstrative “this/that,” use:

• denne blå kjolen = this blue dress
• den blå kjolen der = that blue dress (over there)

Context and intonation can also make den blå kjolen feel like “that blue dress,” but for explicit pointing, add denne/der.

Can I move ved inngangen to another place in the sentence?

Best is to keep it at the end: Hvor mye koster den blå kjolen ved inngangen? Other placements can sound marked or awkward. You can front it for emphasis as a separate topic: Ved inngangen, hvor mye koster den blå kjolen? but the original is most natural.

Is there a more polite or formal way to ask?

Yes, for example:

• Unnskyld, kan du si meg hvor mye den blå kjolen ved inngangen koster?
• Hva er prisen på den blå kjolen ved inngangen? (a bit formal; perfectly fine in shops)

Can I drop the noun if it’s clear from context?

Yes, ellipsis is natural:

• Hvor mye koster den blå ved inngangen? (if it’s obvious you’re talking about a dress) But the full den blå kjolen is clearer if there’s any doubt.

Is this Bokmål or Nynorsk? How would it look in Nynorsk?

The sentence is Bokmål. In Nynorsk you’d typically say:

• Kor mykje kostar den blå kjolen ved inngangen?

Any common mistakes to avoid with this sentence?

• ❌ Hvor mange koster …? (use hvor mye for price)
• ❌ Hva koster den blå kjole? (needs double definiteness: den blå kjolen)
• ❌ Hva koster kjole blå? (adjective goes before the noun)
• ❌ Hva koster på inngangen? (use ved inngangen)