Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Han går sakte ned trappetrinnene fordi han er slapp etter at han har vært forkjølet. - He walks slowly down the steps because he is weak after having had a cold.

English separates go and walk, but Norwegian normally uses gå for moving on foot. To emphasize the manner of walking (strolling, hiking, marching), Norwegian adds extra verbs or expressions, but gå alone is the default.

Why is the adverb sakte placed between går and ned? Could we say Han går ned sakte trappetrinnene?

The neutral word order is:

Han går sakte ned trappetrinnene.

Typical pattern: Subject – Verb – (Manner adverb) – (Direction) – Object

Putting sakte after ned or right before trappetrinnene sounds odd or wrong:

✗ Han går ned sakte trappetrinnene – ungrammatical/very unnatural.
✔ Han går sakte ned trappetrinnene.
✔ Han går ned trappetrinnene sakte. – possible, but feels a bit heavier / more marked.

So the most natural place here is directly after går.

Why do we need ned? Doesn’t går already imply movement?

Gå only means go / walk, without specifying direction. You add particles like ned, opp, inn, ut, etc. to show the direction:

Han går ned trappetrinnene. = He walks down the steps.
Han går opp trappetrinnene. = He walks up the steps.
Han går bort til bilen. = He walks over to the car.

Without ned, Han går trappetrinnene would sound wrong or at least incomplete; we need ned to express down.

What is trappetrinnene exactly, and why is it in the definite plural form?

Trappetrinnene breaks down like this:

trapp = staircase, stairs
trinn = step, rung (one unit)
trappetrinn = stair step (compound noun: stair-step)
trappetrinnene = the stair steps (definite plural)

Grammar:

et trappetrinn = a step
trappetrinn = steps (indefinite plural)
trappetrinnene = the steps (definite plural)

We use the definite plural because we are referring to the specific steps of that staircase, similarly to English down the steps rather than down steps in general.

What is the difference between trappetrinn and trapp? Could we say Han går sakte ned trappa instead?

Yes, you could.

trapp = the whole staircase
- Han går sakte ned trappa / trappen. = He walks slowly down the stairs.
trappetrinn = the individual steps
- Han går sakte ned trappetrinnene. = He walks slowly down the steps.

Both are natural. Trappa (or trappen) is more general; trappetrinnene focuses on the individual steps. In many everyday contexts, Norwegians would pick trappa because it’s shorter and very common.

What does slapp mean here? Does it only mean tired, or something else?

Slapp is an adjective that broadly means weak / listless / without energy or firmness. In this context it’s about low physical energy after an illness:

Jeg er helt slapp i dag. = I’m completely drained / have no energy today.

Other uses:

slappe muskler = slack / flabby muscles
et slapt håndtrykk = a limp handshake
en slapp forestilling = a weak / half-hearted performance

So here, han er slapp means he feels weak and low on energy, not just a bit sleepy.

Why is it han er slapp and not han føler seg slapp?

Both are possible:

Han er slapp.
Han føler seg slapp.

The difference:

Han er slapp. – Simple, very common; describes his state directly.
Han føler seg slapp. – Emphasizes his subjective feeling more (literally he feels weak).

In everyday speech, Norwegians usually prefer er slapp unless they especially want to stress the feeling.

Why do we say etter at han har vært forkjølet and not just etter han har vært forkjølet or etter han var forkjølet?

etter at vs etter

When etter introduces a full clause (with its own verb and subject), Norwegian standard written language normally uses etter at:
- ✔ etter at han har vært forkjølet
- ✗ etter han har vært forkjølet (common in speech in some dialects, but not standard written Bokmål)

Use etter alone mainly before nouns or noun phrases:

etter forkjølelsen = after the cold
etter ferien = after the holiday

Tense: har vært vs var

etter at han har vært forkjølet = after he has been ill with a cold (perfect tense, emphasizes the recentness/relevance)
etter at han var forkjølet = after he was ill with a cold (preterite, more detached / narrative)

In spoken everyday Norwegian, both tenses can be used, but har vært fits well when the effect of the cold is still felt now (he is still weak).

Why is har vært used with forkjølet? Why not har hatt forkjølelse?

Norwegian usually treats forkjølet as an adjective: to be colded / to have a cold is expressed as å være forkjølet, not å ha forkjølelse in everyday speech.

Han er forkjølet. = He has a cold.
Han har vært forkjølet. = He has had a cold.

forkjølelse is the noun (a cold), but ha forkjølelse is less idiomatic in daily speech:

✔ Han har forkjølelse. – understandable but more clinical/formal
✔ Han har en kraftig forkjølelse. – OK if you want to talk about the illness as a thing
✗ As a routine way to say He has a cold, Norwegians much prefer Han er forkjølet.

So har vært forkjølet is the natural perfect form.

How does word order work in the clause etter at han har vært forkjølet? Why han har vært and not etter at har han vært forkjølet?

Norwegian main clauses are verb-second (V2), but subordinate clauses (introduced by at, fordi, hvis, når, etter at, etc.) generally are Subject – Verb – Object / Other.

Main clause: Han har vært forkjølet. (V2: Han – har – vært)
Subordinate: etter at han har vært forkjølet
- etter at = subjunction
- han = subject
- har = auxiliary verb
- vært = main verb
- forkjølet = predicative adjective

Putting the verb before the subject:

✗ etter at har han vært forkjølet – ungrammatical in Norwegian.

So in subordinate clauses, the finite verb does not jump in front of the subject the way it can in main clauses after a fronted element.

Could we use fordi at or for instead of fordi?

Options:

fordi = because (neutral, very common)
fordi at = because (a bit more formal / old-fashioned in some styles; still used)
for = for / because (more like for, often giving a justification added afterwards)

In this sentence:

✔ Han går sakte ned trappetrinnene fordi han er slapp ... – standard, natural.
✔ ... fordi at han er slapp ... – grammatically OK; some style guides discourage fordi at as redundant, others accept it.
for would typically start a new clause after a pause:
- Han går sakte ned trappetrinnene, for han er slapp etter at han har vært forkjølet.

So fordi is the cleanest choice for a causal subordinate clause directly attached to the main clause.

Could we say Han går sakte nedover trappa instead of ned trappetrinnene? What is the difference between ned and nedover?

Yes, you can definitely say:

Han går sakte nedover trappa.

The difference:

ned = down (simple direction)
nedover = down(wards), often with more focus on the movement along a downward path

In practice, both can be used with trappa:

ned trappa and nedover trappa are both natural.
ned trappetrinnene is a bit more concrete about the steps.
nedover trappetrinnene is possible but sounds a bit heavier.

So ned is the basic choice; nedover adds a nuance of movement along or downwards.

Is there any difference in meaning if we move sakte to the end: Han går ned trappetrinnene sakte?

Both are grammatical:

✔ Han går sakte ned trappetrinnene. – neutral, most typical.
✔ Han går ned trappetrinnene sakte. – also correct; sounds slightly more marked / emphatic on sakte.

Putting the adverb at the end can sound more like you are adding it as an afterthought or stressing it: He walks down the steps, slowly.

But the core meaning is the same.

How would you pronounce trappetrinnene? It looks long and difficult.

Spoken slowly, you can think of it in parts:

trap‑pe‑trinn‑e‑ne

Approximate pronunciation (Bokmål, Eastern urban accent):

trapp – like English trup with a short a (somewhere between trap and trop)
trappe – TRAP-pe (short, clear e at the end)
trinn – like trinn with a short i, similar to trinn in trinity (first syllable)
trinnene – TRIN-ne-ne, with all three e very short and unstressed

In fluent speech it often melts into something like:

[ˈtrɑpəˌtrɪnːənə] (IPA-ish)

Don’t worry about being perfect; if you clearly say something like TRAP-pe-TRIN-ne-ne, people will understand you.