Vi venter utenfor huset deres.

We wait outside their house.

Breakdown of Vi venter utenfor huset deres.

• vi: we
• huset: the house
• vente: to wait
• utenfor: outside
• deres: their

Questions & Answers about Vi venter utenfor huset deres.

Does the verb venter mean are waiting or wait?

In Norwegian, the simple present covers both. Vi venter ... can mean either We wait ... (habitual) or We are waiting ... (right now). Context decides. You don’t use a special -ing form.

Tip: To stress that it’s happening now, you can add nå or use a posture-verb construction:

• Vi venter utenfor huset deres nå.
• Vi står utenfor huset deres og venter.

Mini-conjugation of å vente:

• Infinitive: å vente
• Present: venter
• Preterite: ventet
• Past participle: har ventet
• Imperative: Vent!

Do I need på after venter?

Use venter by itself when you state a location or just the activity. Use venter på when you name what/who you are waiting for.

• Location only: Vi venter utenfor huset.
• Waiting for something/someone: Vi venter på bussen. / Vi venter på dere utenfor huset.

Don’t say Vi venter dere (ungrammatical). Say Vi venter på dere.

What’s the difference between utenfor and foran?

• utenfor = outside (not inside the boundary/enclosure). Vi venter utenfor huset means you’re not in the house.
• foran = in front of (on the front side/facing side). Vi venter foran huset contrasts with behind or beside the house; you’re positioned at the front.

So if the key idea is “not inside,” use utenfor. If the key idea is the front side vs other sides, use foran.

Why is it huset and not hus?

Because it’s definite. hus is a neuter noun:

• Indefinite singular: hus
• Definite singular: huset
• Indefinite plural: hus
• Definite plural: husene (also husa in informal Bokmål)

With a possessive placed after the noun (like deres here), the noun must be in the definite form: huset deres.

Why is the possessive after the noun here? Could I put it before?

Norwegian allows both positions, but they behave differently:

• Postposed possessive (neutral, common): definite noun + possessive
  • huset deres (the house their)
• Preposed possessive (often contrastive/emphatic): possessive + indefinite noun
  • deres hus (their house)

With adjectives, you get the “double definiteness” in the postposed pattern:

• det store huset deres (the big house of theirs) But with preposed possessive there’s no article or noun suffix:
• deres store hus (their big house)

Can I say Vi venter utenfor deres hus instead?

Yes, it’s grammatical. utenfor deres hus puts slight emphasis on who owns the house and uses the indefinite noun (hus). In everyday speech, utenfor huset deres usually sounds more natural when you mean the specific house they live in.

Does deres mean their or your?

Both are possible:

• deres = their
• deres = your (plural) (and formerly also formal singular, written Deres, now rare)

So Vi venter utenfor huset deres can mean either “outside their house” or “outside your (plural) house,” depending on context. To make “their” unambiguous, you can say huset til dem. To make “your (plural)” unambiguous in speech, huset til dere is common (more informal).

If the subject is they, how do I say their own house vs someone else’s house?

Use the reflexive possessive for “their own”:

• De venter utenfor huset sitt. = They are waiting outside their own house. Use deres for “someone else’s” (or “your (pl.)” if addressing):
• De venter utenfor huset deres. = They are waiting outside someone else’s house (or outside your (pl.) house).

Forms of the reflexive possessive: sin (m/f), sitt (neuter), sine (plural).

How do I say our/your/his/her house with the same pattern?

Postposed (neutral) pattern:

• huset mitt = my house
• huset ditt = your house (singular)
• huset vårt = our house
• huset deres = your house (plural) / their house
• huset hans = his house
• huset hennes = her house

Can I start the sentence with the location phrase?

Yes. Norwegian main clauses obey V2 (the verb is in second position). If you front the place phrase, the verb still comes second:

• Utenfor huset deres venter vi.

How do I pronounce the words?

Approximate pronunciation (IPA and hints):

• Vi [viː] (like English “vee”)
• venter [ˈʋentər]/[ˈvenːtər] (VEN-ter; t is clear)
• utenfor [ˈʉːtənfɔr] (OO-ten-for, with a fronted rounded u)
• huset [ˈhʉːsət] (HOO-seht; u is fronted/rounded)
• deres [ˈdeːres] (DAY-res)

Is utenfor one word?

Yes, utenfor is one word when it means outside. Don’t split it. If you want a two-word alternative, you can use på utsiden av (on the outside of): Vi venter på utsiden av huset.

Can vente also mean expect?

Sometimes, yes:

• Jeg venter besøk. = I’m expecting visitors. But for clarity, forvente is the standard verb for “to expect”: Vi forventer at de kommer. In the original sentence, venter clearly means “wait.”

Are there other natural ways to say outside their house?

• utenfor huset deres (most natural)
• på utsiden av huset deres (more explicit/formal)
• ved huset deres (by/near their house; proximity, not necessarily “outside vs inside”)
• hos dem (at their place; usually implies being at their home, often inside, not outside)