Breakdown of Hjelm kreves på sykkelstien.
Questions & Answers about Hjelm kreves på sykkelstien.
Norwegian often uses the bare singular to make generic statements about what is required/allowed/forbidden. Hjelm here means “helmets (in general).” Adding en would sound like “a helmet is required” (as if exactly one unspecified helmet), which is not how such rules are phrased. Use the bare singular for rules and general requirements:
- Bilbelte er påbudt. (Seatbelts are mandatory.)
Yes. Er påbudt (“is mandatory”) is very common on signs and notices. Nuance:
- Kreves emphasizes a requirement/demand.
- Er påbudt emphasizes a rule/mandate. Both are perfectly natural here.
- Hjelm må brukes på sykkelstien. (must be used) — slightly more directive.
- Det kreves hjelm på sykkelstien. — impersonal, very common in writing.
Avoid using nødvendig if you mean a legal/official rule; nødvendig = “necessary,” not necessarily “mandated.”
Also, trengs = “is needed,” which is weaker than a rule.
For paths/tracks you’re on top of, Norwegian typically uses på (on): på sykkelstien, på veien, på fortauet.
With a lane that you’re “in,” you’ll commonly see i sykkelfeltet (in the bike lane). Usage varies a bit regionally, but på sykkelstien is the standard choice.
- Sykkelsti: a bike path, usually separated from car traffic (often shared-use or alongside roads/parks).
- Sykkelfelt: a bike lane painted on the roadway.
- Sykkelvei/sykkelveg: a dedicated cycle road/way.
The sentence specifically refers to a path: sykkelstien (the bike path).
Definite points to a specific, contextually known path (e.g., “on the bike path [here]”). You can change the meaning with different forms:
- På sykkelstien = on the (specific) bike path.
- På en sykkelsti = on a bike path (any one path).
- På sykkelsti (bare singular) also exists and can mean “on bike path” in general.
- På sykkelstier (plural) = on bike paths (in general).
Both are correct. Norwegian is a V2 language: the finite verb must be in second position. Two natural variants:
- Hjelm kreves på sykkelstien. (Subject first)
- På sykkelstien kreves hjelm. (Adverbial first, verb second) You’ll also see the impersonal:
- På sykkelstien kreves det hjelm. (expletive det to hold the subject slot)
Place ikke after the verb in this structure:
- Hjelm kreves ikke på sykkelstien. If you front the place phrase:
- På sykkelstien kreves ikke hjelm.
Use subject–aux inversion or the impersonal construction:
- Kreves det hjelm på sykkelstien?
- Er hjelm påbudt på sykkelstien?
Yes. Sykkelhjelm (bicycle helmet) is more specific and very natural:
- Sykkelhjelm kreves på sykkelstien. You could also say godkjent sykkelhjelm (approved bicycle helmet) if required.
Hjelm is masculine in Bokmål:
- Indefinite singular: en hjelm
- Definite singular: hjelmen
- Indefinite plural: hjelmer
- Definite plural: hjelmene Remember: for general rules, use the bare singular: Hjelm kreves.
Approximate pronunciation (IPA): [jelm ˈkreːvəs poː ˈsʏkːəlstiːən]
Quick tips:
- hj in hjelm is pronounced like English y; the h is silent: “yelm.”
- kreves has a long e: “KRAY-ves.”
- på sounds like “paw” with a long vowel.
- sykkel has a short, rounded y: “SÜK-kel” (with a doubled k).
- stien has a long i: “STEE-en.”