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Questions & Answers about Hun går ut av huset.
In Hun går ut av huset., what does the verb går mean here—walks or goes?
Both ideas are possible. Gå literally means walk, but går is commonly used like English go when talking about leaving or heading out. So it can be understood as she walks/goes out, and in context it often corresponds to English is going out.
Why is it ut and not ute?
Norwegian distinguishes motion vs. location:
- ut = motion outward (going out)
- ute = location outside (being outside) So Hun går ut, but Hun er ute.
Why ut av and not fra?
- ut av is the standard for exiting an enclosed space: Hun går ut av huset.
- fra means from/away from: Hun går fra huset means she walks away from the house (not necessarily from inside it).
- ut fra is often used figuratively (based on), as in ut fra det du sier (based on what you say). For literal exiting, prefer ut av.
Can I just say Hun går ut?
Yes. Hun går ut means she is going out (leaving to the outside). Adding av huset specifies the place she’s exiting.
Why is it huset and not hus?
Norwegian marks definiteness with a suffix. hus (house) is neuter:
- a house = et hus
- the house = huset Here, we’re talking about a specific house, hence huset.
How would I say out of a house (not a specific one)?
ut av et hus.
How do I say out of the houses (plural)?
ut av husene. In Bokmål, husene is the common definite plural; husa is also allowed and more informal/colloquial.
What’s the word order rule here?
Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb is in second position. Hun (subject) is first, går (verb) is second: Hun går ut av huset. If you front something else, the verb still stays second: Ut av huset går hun (more emphatic/literary).
Does the present tense går also cover English is going?
Yes. Norwegian present often covers both simple and progressive. Hun går ut av huset can mean she goes out or she is going out (right now). To stress the ongoing action, you can add nå (now) or say Hun er i ferd med å gå ut (she is in the process of going out).
Can I use utenfor here?
Not for the motion of exiting. utenfor means outside (location).
- Exiting: Hun går ut av huset.
- Location: Hun er utenfor huset (she is outside the house).
- Hun går utenfor huset would mean she walks outside the house (in the area outside), not that she exits it.
What’s the difference between går, drar, and forlater?
- går: go/walk (on foot) or simply leave/go out in everyday talk: Hun går ut av huset.
- drar: leave/set off (by any means), more about departure/travel: Hun drar hjemmefra (she leaves home).
- forlater: leave/abandon, more formal: Hun forlater huset.
Could I say Hun kommer ut av huset?
Yes, but it emphasizes her coming out (as perceived by an observer outside), whereas Hun går ut av huset focuses on the act of going out from her perspective. Both describe exiting.
How do I negate it?
Place ikke after the finite verb: Hun går ikke ut av huset (she isn’t going out of the house).
What’s the counterpart for going in?
Use inn i for motion into something enclosed: Hun går inn i huset. Think of the pair: ut av (out of) vs. inn i (into).
Any pronunciation tips?
- Hun roughly hoo-n with a fronted u sound.
- går has the long å sound (similar to aw in law), final r pronounced in many accents.
- ut has a long u sound; t is clear.
- av often sounds like a long a; the v may be weak or silent in casual speech.
- huset has a long u; the final t may be weak or omitted regionally. Spoken linking often makes av huset sound like a-huset.
Is hun always she? Are there variants?
hun is the standard Bokmål feminine pronoun she. Many dialects use ho. A gender-neutral singular pronoun hen exists and is increasingly used in some contexts.
Does Norwegian capitalize nouns like German?
No. Only sentence starts and proper names are capitalized. huset is lowercase unless it begins a sentence.
Can I say through the door?
Yes: Hun går ut gjennom døra/døren. dør is common gender; the definite can be døra (feminine form) or døren (masculine form), both acceptable in Bokmål.