Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Handlelisten ligger i lommen, men han glemmer å lese den. - The shopping list is in the pocket, but he forgets to read it.

ligger (lies) for things lying/resting somewhere
står (stands) for upright things (bottles, books on a shelf)
sitter (sits) for something “sitting” in place (people/animals on chairs, objects wedged in) A list inside a pocket is naturally thought of as “lying” there, so Handlelisten ligger i lommen sounds idiomatic. Handlelisten er i lommen is understandable but more neutral and less vivid.

Why is there a comma before men?

In Norwegian you normally put a comma before men when it connects two main clauses: Handlelisten ligger i lommen, men han glemmer å lese den. This is a standard rule with coordinating conjunctions like men (but) when they join independent clauses.

Why is it den and not det at the end?

Because handlelisten is common gender (en/ei), so its object pronoun is den. Use det for neuter nouns or to refer to a whole situation/idea.

Common gender: Jeg ser boka. Jeg leser den.
Neuter: Jeg ser arket. Jeg leser det.
Whole idea: Han glemmer det (= he forgets that/it, the fact/situation).

Where does the object pronoun go in an infinitive phrase?

After the verb: å lese den. You cannot say å den lese. In finite clauses without negation, it also follows the verb: Han leser den.

What gender are handleliste and lomme, and how do their definite forms work?

lomme (pocket): common gender
- Indefinite sg: en lomme
- Definite sg: lommen or lomma
- Indefinite pl: lommer
- Definite pl: lommene
handleliste (shopping list): common gender; can be treated as masculine or feminine in Bokmål
- Indefinite sg: en/ei handleliste
- Definite sg: handlelisten or handlelista
- Indefinite pl: handlelister
- Definite pl: handlelistene

Is lomma (and handlelista) also correct?

Yes. In Bokmål, many traditionally feminine nouns allow either the -a (feminine) ending or the -en (masculine/common) ending. So lommen/lomma and handlelisten/handlelista are both accepted. Pick one style and be consistent within a text.

Can I start with the place and say I lommen ligger handlelisten?

Yes. This is a classic example of the V2 rule in main clauses: after any fronted element (here, the place phrase I lommen), the finite verb comes second: I lommen ligger handlelisten. The second clause after men keeps normal subject–verb order: ... men han glemmer å lese den.

How do you conjugate glemme, lese, and ligge?

å glemme – glemmer – glemte – har glemt
å lese – leser – leste – har lest
å ligge – ligger – lå – har ligget

Why å (to) and not og (and) before lese?

å marks the infinitive: han glemmer å lese den. og means “and.” They can sound similar in speech, but the spelling and meaning differ. Compare:

Han glemmer å lese den (He forgets to read it)
Han skal lese og skrive (He will read and write)

Can I drop den and just say han glemmer å lese?

If you mean “he forgets to read (in general),” you can drop it. But if you mean the list specifically, keep the pronoun: han glemmer å lese den. Norwegian generally keeps object pronouns where English might sometimes omit them from context.

Could I use står instead of ligger?

Not here. står fits things that are upright (bottles, lamps, books on a shelf). For a list in a pocket, ligger is the natural choice. If it were pinned up, you’d typically use henger: Handlelisten henger på veggen.

Is i lommen the right preposition? Why not på?

For “in the pocket,” use i: i lommen/lomma. på appears in idioms like penger på lomma (“money on you”), but for literal location inside a pocket, it’s i.

Where does ikke go if I want to negate something here?

He doesn’t read it: Han leser den ikke.
He doesn’t forget to read it: Han glemmer ikke å lese den.
He doesn’t remember to read it: Han husker ikke å lese den. By default, ikke comes after the finite verb and before most complements/infinitives. With object pronouns, the neutral order is object before ikke: den ikke (contrastive focus can change this).

Can I omit the subject like in some languages? (e.g., just Glemmer å lese den)

No. Norwegian is not a pro-drop language; you normally need an explicit subject: Han glemmer å lese den. Imperatives are an exception: Les den!

What’s the difference between glemmer å and glemmer at?

glemmer å + infinitive = forgets to do something: Han glemmer å lese den.
glemmer at + clause = forgets that …: Han glemmer at handlelisten ligger i lommen.

Could I use another subject pronoun like hun or hen?

Yes. Use han (he) for a male, hun (she) for a female. hen is a gender-neutral singular pronoun used by some speakers/writers. All three are grammatically fine; choose based on the referent.

How would this look in Nynorsk?

A natural Nynorsk version is: Handlelista ligg i lomma, men han gløymer å lese ho. Note ligg (not ligger), gløymer (not glemmer), and the feminine object pronoun ho for handlelista.

Is there another natural way to say the same idea?

Yes, for example:

Han har handlelisten i lommen, men han glemmer å lese den. (focus on possession)
Handlelisten ligger i lommen, men han glemmer å se på den. (uses “look at it,” which is also common in this context)

Do nouns get capitalized like in German? Why is Handlelisten capitalized here?

Norwegian does not capitalize common nouns like German does. Handlelisten is capitalized only because it starts the sentence. Mid-sentence it would be handlelisten.