Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Foreldrene tillater at barna er ute til klokken ni. - The parents allow the children to be outside until nine o’clock.

tillate at + [subject + finite verb]: Foreldrene tillater at barna er ute til klokken ni. (more formal/official style)
tillate + [object] + å + infinitiv: Foreldrene tillater barna å være ute til klokken ni. (very natural in everyday language)

Do not mix them: Foreldrene tillater barna er ute ... is wrong. Many speakers would simply use la: Foreldrene lar barna være ute ...

Why is it barna er and not er barna after at?

After at, you’re in a subordinate clause, which uses regular Subject–Verb word order. So it’s barna er. Verb-second (V2) order like Er barna … is for main-clause questions or statements, not for at-clauses.

Can I drop at like in English where you can sometimes drop “that”?

Not here. With verbs like tillate, the at is kept: Foreldrene tillater at barna er ute …. You can’t say Foreldrene tillater barna er ute …. With some other verbs (e.g., tro, mene) you can drop at: Jeg tror (at) han kommer.

What’s the difference between ute and ut?

ute = “out, outside” (state/location): Barna er ute.
ut = “out” (motion/direction): Barna går ut. In this sentence it’s a state (being outside), so ute is correct.

Could I use utenfor instead of ute?

They’re close, but not the same:

ute = outside/in the open in general.
utenfor = specifically “outside of” something: Barna er utenfor huset. Your sentence talks about being outdoors in general, so ute is right.

Why is it barna and not barnene?

Because barn is irregular:

et barn (singular)
barnet (definite singular)
barn (plural)
barna (definite plural) So the correct definite plural is barna, not barnene.

What’s going on with Foreldrene? How do I form it?

en forelder (a parent)
foreldre (parents; indefinite plural)
foreldrene (the parents; definite plural)

In some styles/dialects you’ll see foreldra as the definite plural, but foreldrene is standard Bokmål.

Is there a difference between klokken and klokka? And why the definite form?

Both klokken and klokka are correct in Bokmål; klokka is more colloquial.
Time-of-day expressions use the definite form: klokken/klokka ni = “nine o’clock.”
In writing you’ll often see kl. 9 as an abbreviation.

Does til klokken ni mean “up to and including nine” or “until nine (not after)”?

Normally it means “until nine, not after”—they should be home by 9:00. If you mean inclusive, say til og med klokken ni. Synonyms for “until” include fram til and the more formal inntil.

Could I just say til ni? What about 24-hour time?

Yes, til ni is fine and common in speech. In writing, Norwegians often use 24-hour time: til kl. 21 (i.e., 9 p.m.). If needed, you can add om morgenen/om kvelden for clarity.

Is tillate the best verb here? How about la or få lov til?

tillate = “to permit/allow” (somewhat formal): Foreldrene tillater …
la = “let” (very common): Foreldrene lar barna være ute …
få lov til = “be allowed to” (from the children’s perspective): Barna får lov til å være ute … All are correct; la and få lov til are very natural in everyday speech.

If I replace barna with a pronoun, is it de or dem?

It depends on the structure:

With an at-clause, the pronoun is the subject of that clause, so use de: Foreldrene tillater at de er ute …
With the å-infinitive, the pronoun is the object of tillater, so use dem: Foreldrene tillater dem å være ute …

Could I say blir ute instead of er ute?

You can, but the nuance changes:

er ute describes the state of being outside.
blir ute emphasizes remaining/staying outside: Foreldrene tillater at barna blir ute til klokka ni. Both work; være ute is the neutral default.

Where does ikke go if I want to negate?

Negate the allowing: Foreldrene tillater ikke at barna er ute til klokka ni. (They don’t allow it.)
Negate inside the at-clause: Foreldrene tillater at barna ikke er ute til klokka ni. (They allow them not to be outside until nine—unusual meaning, but grammatical.) In subordinate clauses, ikke comes before the verb: … at barna ikke er …

What are the principal forms of tillate and the related noun?

Verb: å tillate – tillater – tillot – har tillatt
Noun: en tillatelse (permission)