Hun finner svampen i skuffen.

She finds the sponge in the drawer.

Breakdown of Hun finner svampen i skuffen.

• hun: she
• i: in
• finne: to find
• skuffen: the drawer
• svampen: the sponge

Questions & Answers about Hun finner svampen i skuffen.

What exactly does svampen mean—sponge or mushroom?

In Norwegian, svamp most commonly means a cleaning sponge. It can also mean fungus in a biological sense, but for edible mushrooms Norwegians say sopp. Here, svampen is naturally understood as the sponge.

Why do the nouns end in -en? Where did “the” go?

Norwegian usually marks definiteness with a suffix attached to the noun:

• -en for masculine/feminine nouns, -et for neuter.
• en svamp → svampen (a sponge → the sponge)
• en skuff → skuffen (a drawer → the drawer) If you add an adjective to a definite noun, you also use a fronted determiner (see the “double definite” explanation below).

Can I use the indefinite forms instead?

Yes—use definite vs. indefinite to match what is known in context:

• Both unknown: Hun finner en svamp i en skuff.
• Known drawer, unknown sponge: Hun finner en svamp i skuffen.
• Known sponge, unknown drawer: Hun finner svampen i en skuff.
• Both known (original): Hun finner svampen i skuffen.

How is finne conjugated?

• Infinitive: å finne
• Present: finner
• Preterite (past): fant
• Present perfect: har funnet
• Past participle: funnet
• Imperative: finn!

What’s the word-order rule here?

Basic order is Subject–Verb–Object–(Place): Hun (S) finner (V) svampen (O) i skuffen (Place). Norwegian is V2 (verb-second): if you front something, the finite verb stays second: I skuffen finner hun svampen.

Where does ikke (not) go?

After the finite verb in main clauses: Hun finner ikke svampen i skuffen.
To say “not in the drawer (but somewhere else)”, you can use contrast: Hun finner svampen, men ikke i skuffen. (Placing ikke directly before the place phrase is the most natural way to focus the location.)

How do I ask a question?

• Yes–no: Finner hun svampen i skuffen?
• Wh-question: Hvor finner hun svampen? or Hvor er svampen?

Why i skuffen and not på skuffen?

Use i for something located inside an enclosed space (drawer, box, room). Use på for surfaces or things on top: på bordet (on the table). På skuffen would mean on the drawer (like on its front/top), which is different.

Can I replace svampen with a pronoun?

Yes: Hun finner den i skuffen.
Use den for masculine/feminine nouns and det for neuter nouns. Since svamp is an en-word (masculine), you use den.

How do I say “in her drawer,” and how do I show it’s her own drawer?

• If the drawer belongs to the subject (reflexive): i skuffen sin → Hun finner svampen i skuffen sin.
• If it’s some other woman’s drawer: i skuffen hennes.
• For a man’s drawer: i skuffen hans.

What genders and plurals do svamp and skuff have?

Both are masculine in Bokmål:

• en svamp – svampen – svamper – svampene
• en skuff – skuffen – skuffer – skuffene Note: skuffe is a different noun (a shovel), and å skuffe is a verb (to disappoint).

Any quick pronunciation tips?

• Hun: similar to hoon, but with a more fronted, rounded vowel.
• finner: stress first syllable; double consonant means the vowel is short (FIN-ner).
• svampen: SVAM-pen; a is an “ah” sound.
• skuffen: SKUFF-en; u like “oo”; sk before u is a plain sk sound (not “sh”).

Can I drop the subject pronoun (Hun)?

No. Norwegian isn’t a pro‑drop language; you need the subject: Hun finner … (Dialectal forms like ho exist, but the subject is still expressed.)

How do I say “the yellow sponge in the drawer”?

With adjectives and a definite noun, use the “double definite” pattern: den + adjective + noun + -en/-et.
Example: Hun finner den gule svampen i skuffen.
Indefinite: Hun finner en gul svamp i skuffen.

How do I express movement into the drawer?

Use a motion verb; i is still used for “into” with many verbs:

• Hun legger svampen i skuffen. (She puts the sponge into the drawer.) You can add direction for emphasis: Hun legger svampen ned i skuffen.