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Barna leker i bakgården, mens vi drikker te på balkongen.

Barna leker i bakgården, mens vi drikker te på balkongen.
The children play in the backyard/courtyard while we drink tea on the balcony.
FromLesson 35inHardcore Norwegian
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Questions & Answers about Barna leker i bakgården, mens vi drikker te på balkongen.

Why is it Barna and not something with an article like “the children”?

Norwegian usually marks definiteness with an ending, not a separate “the.” The noun barn (child) is neuter and irregular:

  • Singular indefinite: et barn
  • Singular definite: barnet
  • Plural indefinite: barn
  • Plural definite: barna (= the children)

So Barna on its own already means the children. If you say de barna, it means those children (not just “the children”).

Is leker here a verb or the noun “toys”? How can I tell?

Here it’s the verb leker (present tense of å leke, to play): Barna leker … = “The children are playing …” Context tells you which it is:

  • Verb: Barna leker i bakgården. (The children are playing…)
  • Noun (plural of “toy”): Barna har mange leker. (The children have many toys.)
Why is it leker and not spiller for “play”?

Norwegian distinguishes two verbs:

  • å leke: kids playing, pretend play, free play. Example: Barna leker i hagen.
  • å spille: playing structured games/sports/instruments. Examples: spille fotball, spille sjakk, spille gitar.

So kids “play” outside = leker; they “play soccer” = spiller fotball.

Why i bakgården but på balkongen?

Prepositions depend on how Norwegians conceptualize the place:

  • i is used for enclosed or area-like spaces you’re “inside”: i bakgården, i hagen, i parken.
  • på is used for surfaces and platforms/appendages: på balkongen, på terrassen, på verandaen.

Saying i balkongen or på bakgården is not idiomatic.

What exactly is a bakgård? Is it the same as a hage (garden/yard)?
  • bakgård: a courtyard/backyard area typically behind or between buildings in a town or apartment block.
  • hage: a garden/yard attached to a house, usually green and private.

So i bakgården evokes an urban courtyard; i hagen is more like a suburban garden/yard.

Why are bakgården and balkongen definite?
They refer to specific, known locations (the building’s backyard; the home’s balcony). Norwegian often uses the definite form in such cases. If you said i en bakgård or på en balkong, it would mean “in a (random) backyard/on a (random) balcony.”
Do I need the comma before mens?

Yes. In standard written Norwegian you put a comma between a main clause and a following subordinate clause:

  • Barna leker i bakgården, mens vi drikker te på balkongen. If the mens-clause comes first, put a comma after it:
  • Mens vi drikker te på balkongen, leker barna i bakgården.
If I start with the mens-clause, does the word order change?

Yes. Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule (the verb in second position). When a subordinate clause comes first, the verb of the following main clause still goes in position 2, so you get inversion:

  • Mens vi drikker te på balkongen, leker barna i bakgården. (not: … barna leker …)
Where does ikke go in these clauses?
  • In a main clause, ikke comes after the finite verb: Barna leker ikke i bakgården.; Vi drikker ikke te.
  • In a subordinate clause, ikke comes before the finite verb: mens vi ikke drikker te på balkongen.
How are the noun forms built here?
  • en bakgård (a backyard/courtyard) → bakgården (the backyard/courtyard) [masculine]
  • en balkong (a balcony) → balkongen (the balcony) [masculine]
  • et barn (a child) → barnet (the child) → barn (children) → barna (the children) [neuter, irregular plural definite -a]
Is the present tense here really “are playing/are drinking”? There’s no -ing.

Norwegian uses the simple present to cover both English simple and continuous:

  • Barna leker = “The children play/are playing.”
  • Vi drikker te = “We drink/are drinking tea.” If you really want to stress something ongoing right now, you can add nå (now) or use holder på å
    • infinitive in specific contexts, but the plain present is the default.
Can I say en te (“a tea”)?
Yes, when you mean “a serving/cup of tea,” especially when ordering: Jeg vil gjerne ha en te. In general statements you use the mass noun without an article: Vi drikker te.
Are there synonyms for mens?
  • samtidig som works like mens: Barna leker …, samtidig som vi drikker te …
  • imens is an adverb meaning “in the meantime” and starts a new clause/sentence: Barna leker i bakgården. Imens drikker vi te på balkongen. Don’t say mens at.
Any quick pronunciation tips for tricky bits?
  • å in gården sounds like the vowel in English “law.”
  • In many dialects, rd in gården becomes a single retroflex sound; you’ll hear something like a tapped/retroflex r+d.
  • rn in barna often becomes a retroflex nasal in Eastern Norwegian.
  • kk in drikker is a long k; pronounce it clearly as two k’s.
  • ng in balkongen is the English “ng” sound. Stress: Bárna, lék-er; compound bákgården (main stress on the first part); balkóngen (stress on -kong-). Dialects vary.

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