Breakdown of Huset der hun bor har en hemmelig hage.
hun
she
ha
to have
en
a
bo
to live
huset
the house
hagen
the garden
der
where
hemmelig
secret
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Questions & Answers about Huset der hun bor har en hemmelig hage.
Why is it der and not som after Huset?
Because the relative clause refers to a place. In Norwegian, der is a relative adverb meaning “where.” Safe, equivalent ways to say it are:
- Huset der hun bor ...
- Huset som hun bor i ...
- Huset hun bor i ... (here som is omitted; that’s common when it would be the object of a preposition) Use der only for places; use som as the general relative pronoun.
Can I say Huset hvor hun bor?
You will hear this in speech, and many people write it too, but in careful/standard Bokmål you should prefer der or som ... i. For exams and formal writing, stick to Huset der hun bor or Huset som hun bor i.
Why isn’t there an i after bor when using der?
Because der already encodes location (“where/there”). Adding i would double-mark the relation and is considered wrong in standard Norwegian: avoid Huset der hun bor i. If you want a preposition, use som instead: Huset som hun bor i.
What is the word order inside the relative clause: hun bor or bor hun?
Inside subordinate clauses (like der hun bor), Norwegian uses subject–verb order: hun bor. The V2 rule (verb in second position) applies to main clauses, not to subordinate clauses.
Does this sentence obey the V2 rule?
Yes. The entire subject is the noun phrase Huset der hun bor, which occupies the first position. The finite verb har is in second position. The object en hemmelig hage comes after.
Should there be a comma before der?
No. This is a restrictive relative clause (it identifies which house), and Norwegian does not use commas around restrictive relatives. If the clause were non‑restrictive (just extra info), you could set it off with commas and typically use som: Huset, som hun bor i, .... With der, you normally don’t use commas.
What gender is hus, and why is it Huset?
Hus is neuter. Forms:
- Indefinite: et hus
- Definite singular: huset
- Indefinite plural: hus
- Definite plural: husene We use the definite form here because the relative clause picks out a particular, identifiable house.
Why en before hemmelig hage when hus is neuter?
The article agrees with its own noun. Hage is masculine: en hage, hagen, hager, hagene. So we say en hemmelig hage. The gender of hus earlier in the sentence is irrelevant for that.
How does the adjective hemmelig agree with the noun?
Attributive agreement:
- Indefinite singular (all genders): en/ei/et hemmelig ...
- Definite singular: den/det/de hemmelige ... (e.g., den hemmelige hagen)
- Plural: hemmelige ... Predicative:
- Neuter normally takes -t, but adjectives ending in -ig/-lig/-som (like hemmelig) do not add -t: Huset er hemmelig (compare: Huset er stort).
Is it okay to end the clause with a preposition: Huset hun bor i?
Yes. Preposition stranding is natural in Norwegian. All of these are fine:
- Huset der hun bor ...
- Huset som hun bor i ...
- Huset hun bor i ... (very common) Avoid the ungrammatical huset i som hun bor; the ultra-formal huset i hvilket hun bor exists but sounds legalistic.
What’s the difference between å bo and å leve?
- å bo = to reside/live somewhere: Hun bor i Bergen.
- å leve = to live (be alive) or live one’s life: Hun lever et godt liv. Here, bor is correct because the clause is about residence.
Is har here an auxiliary (like “has lived”), or a main verb?
A main verb. Har = “has/have” (to possess): Huset ... har en hemmelig hage. As an auxiliary it would be followed by a past participle: Hun har bodd der (“She has lived there”).
Can I drop der/som entirely?
- You may omit som when it would be the object of a preposition: Huset hun bor i ...
- You cannot omit der in Huset der hun bor ...
- If som is the subject of the relative clause, you must keep it.
How do I pronounce the trickier words?
Approximate central‑eastern pronunciations:
- Huset: HOO-set (long oo)
- der: dare (with a tapped/flipped r)
- hun: h-OO-n, with a tight fronted oo (like French u)
- bor: boor (long oo)
- har: har (open a, tapped r)
- hemmelig: HEMM-eh-lee (final g lightly pronounced)
- hage: HAH-geh (hard g)
Does the sentence mean it’s her own house?
Not necessarily. Huset der hun bor identifies the house by where she lives; it doesn’t imply ownership. If you mean her house specifically, say Huset hennes har en hemmelig hage (“Her house has a secret garden”).
Can the relative clause be moved away from Huset, like Der hun bor, har huset en hemmelig hage?
No. A relative clause must directly follow the noun it modifies. Keep der hun bor immediately after Huset.
Could I use the indefinite Et hus der hun bor instead of Huset der hun bor?
You can, but it changes the meaning to “a house where she lives,” which suggests she may have multiple houses and you’re talking about one of them. Huset der hun bor identifies the specific house linked to her.