Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Barnebarnet tegner en fargerik tegning til bestemor. - The grandchild draws a colorful drawing for Grandma.

barnebarn is a neuter noun (et-word).
The definite singular ending for neuter nouns is -et:
- et barnebarn → barnebarnet (the grandchild)
- et hus → huset (the house)

So Barnebarnet tegner ... = The grandchild is drawing ...

Why does barnebarnet end in -et, but tegning has en in en fargerik tegning?

They are different grammatical genders:

barnebarn is neuter:
- indefinite: et barnebarn
- definite: barnebarnet
tegning is masculine in Bokmål:
- indefinite: en tegning
- definite: tegningen

So in en fargerik tegning:

en = indefinite masculine article.
tegning = a drawing.

You could also treat tegning as feminine in Bokmål:

ei tegning (indefinite)
tegninga (definite)

Both en tegning and ei tegning are accepted in Bokmål, but en tegning is more common in standard/written Norwegian.

Can tegner mean both “is drawing” and “draws” in English?

Yes.

Norwegian has one present tense form that covers both English present simple and present continuous:

Barnebarnet tegner en fargerik tegning til bestemor.
- The grandchild is drawing a colorful drawing for Grandma.
- The grandchild draws a colorful drawing for Grandma.

Context decides which English translation sounds better. Here, “is drawing” is usually the most natural translation.

Is it normal in Norwegian to say “tegner en tegning” (literally “draws a drawing”)? It sounds redundant in English.

Yes, this is very normal in Norwegian, even though it sounds redundant in English.

å tegne = to draw
en tegning = a drawing

So å tegne en tegning is perfectly natural and common.

Alternatives you might also hear:

Barnebarnet tegner noe fargerikt. – The grandchild is drawing something colorful.
Barnebarnet tegner en fargerik figur. – The grandchild is drawing a colorful figure.

But there is nothing wrong or strange about tegner en tegning in Norwegian.

Why is fargerik placed before tegning in en fargerik tegning?

In Norwegian, descriptive adjectives normally come before the noun in the indefinite form:

en fargerik tegning – a colorful drawing
et rødt hus – a red house
to snille barn – two kind children

You put the adjective before the noun and between the article and the noun:

article + adjective + noun
en fargerik tegning
et stort hus
ei gammel dame

Adjectives can also come after the noun in some special structures (with “å være”, certain set expressions, etc.), but for a simple noun phrase like this, before the noun is the standard pattern.

Does fargerik change form depending on gender and number?

Yes. Fargerik is an adjective and it inflects for gender and number in Norwegian Bokmål:

masculine / feminine singular: fargerik
- en fargerik tegning – a colorful drawing
- ei fargerik bok – a colorful book
neuter singular: fargerikt
- et fargerikt bilde – a colorful picture
plural (all genders): fargerike
- fargerike tegninger – colorful drawings
- fargerike bilder – colorful pictures

So you choose the form of fargerik based on the noun:

en tegning → fargerik
et bilde → fargerikt
flere tegninger → fargerike

Why is it til bestemor and not for bestemor?

In Norwegian, til is the usual preposition when something is intended for someone or given to someone:

en gave til deg – a present for you
et brev til læreren – a letter to the teacher
Barnebarnet tegner en fargerik tegning til bestemor.
– The grandchild is drawing a colorful drawing for Grandma.

You can use for in some contexts, but it sounds different:

for bestemor often means on behalf of Grandma, instead of Grandma, or in Grandma’s place, not as a gift to her.

So for a drawing meant as a present or something to give Grandma, til bestemor is the natural choice.

Why is there no article in front of bestemor? Why not til bestemoren?

Family titles like mamma, pappa, bestemor, bestefar, mor, far often drop the article when used a bit like names:

Jeg skal til bestemor. – I’m going to Grandma.
Vi besøker bestefar. – We are visiting Grandpa.
Mamma lager middag. – Mum is making dinner.

This is similar to English “I’m going to Grandma” (no the).

You can say til bestemoren, but then it usually means “to the grandmother” in a more neutral or specific way, not necessarily your own grandmother. For your own grandma, til bestemor is the most natural everyday phrase.

How would I say “the grandchildren are drawing colorful drawings for Grandma”?

You make both barnebarn and tegning plural:

Barnebarna tegner fargerike tegninger til bestemor.

Breakdown:

barnebarn → barnebarn (indefinite plural)
barnebarna → definite plural: the grandchildren
fargerik → plural: fargerike
tegning → plural: tegninger

So:

Barnebarna – the grandchildren
fargerike tegninger – colorful drawings

If I want to say “the grandchild is drawing a colorful picture for his/her grandmother”, how can I show that it’s his/her own grandmother?

You can use the reflexive possessive sin/si/sitt/sine with the definite form of bestemor:

Barnebarnet tegner en fargerik tegning til bestemora si.
Barnebarnet tegner en fargerik tegning til bestemoren sin.

Both are acceptable Bokmål:

bestemora / bestemoren = the grandmother (definite form)
si / sin shows that she is “his/her own” grandmother.

Without sin/si, til bestemor is usually understood as “to Grandma” in the family-sense, but if you need to be very precise (e.g. in a text with many people), adding sin/si makes the relationship clear.

Can I change the word order, like “Til bestemor tegner barnebarnet en fargerik tegning”?

Yes, that word order is grammatically correct Norwegian, but the emphasis changes.

Neutral word order:

Barnebarnet tegner en fargerik tegning til bestemor.

Fronting the prepositional phrase for emphasis:

Til bestemor tegner barnebarnet en fargerik tegning.

The second version puts extra focus on “to Grandma”, as if contrasting with someone else (e.g. not to Grandpa, but to Grandma).

Norwegian allows quite a bit of flexibility, but the subject-first order is usually the most neutral and common in simple sentences.

How is this sentence pronounced? The words look long.

Here is an approximate pronunciation in standard Eastern Norwegian (IPA is approximate):

Barnebarnet – /ˈbɑːɳəˌbɑːɳə/
- r+n often merges into a retroflex sound /ɳ/
tegner – /ˈtæɪnər/ or /ˈtæɪnəɾ/
en – /ɛn/ or reduced /ən/
fargerik – /ˈfɑrɡərɪk/
tegning – /ˈtæɪnɪŋ/
til – /tɪl/ or /tʰɪl/
bestemor – /ˈbɛstəmʊr/

Spoken together, many sounds are slightly reduced:

Barnebarnet tegner en fargerik tegning til bestemor.
≈ /ˈbɑːɳəˌbɑːɳə ˈtæɪnər ən ˈfɑrɡərɪk ˈtæɪnɪŋ tɪl ˈbɛstəmʊr/

Is there a way to make the continuous aspect very explicit, like English “is in the middle of drawing”?

Yes. Spoken Norwegian often uses “holde på å” + infinitive to emphasize an ongoing action:

Barnebarnet holder på å tegne en fargerik tegning til bestemor.
– The grandchild is (in the middle of) drawing a colorful drawing for Grandma.

This makes the ongoing nature of the action stronger than just tegner, though tegner alone is usually enough in most contexts.