Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Barnebarnas tegning henger på veggen. - The grandchildren’s drawing hangs on the wall.

indefinite singular: et barnebarn – a grandchild
indefinite plural: barnebarn – grandchildren
definite plural: barnebarna – the grandchildren
genitive (possessive) of the definite plural: barnebarnas – the grandchildren’s

So barnebarnas tegning = “the grandchildren’s drawing.”

Why do we use barnebarnas tegning and not something like tegningen til barnebarna?

Both are possible, but they’re different structures:

Barnebarnas tegning = a “genitive” construction (possessive -s).
- Very compact, often used in writing.
Tegningen til barnebarna = a til-construction (literally “the drawing to the grandchildren”).
- More neutral and common in speech, especially when the possessor is longer or more complex.

In this sentence, barnebarnas tegning is simply a more concise way to say “the grandchildren’s drawing.”

Why is it barnebarnas tegning and not barnebarnas tegningen?

In Norwegian, when a possessive word comes before the noun (like barnebarnas), the noun is usually indefinite:

barnebarnas tegning – the grandchildren’s drawing
min bil – my car
lærerens bok – the teacher’s book

If you want the possessed noun to be definite, the possessive usually goes after:

tegningen til barnebarna – the drawing of the grandchildren
bilen min – my car
boka til læreren – the teacher’s book

So barnebarnas tegningen is ungrammatical. You must choose one of the standard patterns:

barnebarnas tegning
tegningen til barnebarna

What gender is tegning, and what are its main forms?

Tegning is a feminine noun (in Bokmål it can be treated as feminine or masculine):

Common (textbook) patterns:

indefinite singular: en tegning – a drawing
definite singular: tegningen – the drawing
indefinite plural: tegninger – drawings
definite plural: tegningene – the drawings

In many dialects you’ll also hear the feminine forms:

ei tegning, tegninga, tegninger, tegningene

In the sentence, tegning is indefinite singular, because of the possessive before it: barnebarnas tegning.

Why is the verb henger used here instead of just er?

Norwegian often prefers more specific “position verbs” instead of a general “to be”:

henger – hangs / is hanging (something suspended)
ligger – lies / is lying (horizontal position)
står – stands / is standing (upright position)
sitter – sits / is sitting (seated position)

Since a drawing on a wall is typically hanging, tegning henger på veggen is more natural than using er.

You could say tegningen er på veggen, but it sounds less specific and less idiomatic in this context.

Why is the preposition på used in på veggen, and not i?

På is used for “on (a surface)”:

på veggen – on the wall
på bordet – on the table
på taket – on the roof

I is used for “in/inside”:

i veggen – in the wall (inside the wall)
i skapet – in the cupboard
i lomma – in the pocket

A drawing is hanging on the surface of the wall, so på veggen is correct.

Why is it veggen and not just vegg?

Vegg means “wall”, and here we need “the wall” (a specific, known wall).

Forms:

en vegg – a wall
veggen – the wall
vegger – walls
veggene – the walls

Norwegian uses the definite form a lot where English uses “the”. So:

på veggen – on the wall
på bordet – on the table

På vegg would sound incomplete/odd in this context.

Can I change the word order to På veggen henger barnebarnas tegning?

Yes, that is perfectly correct Norwegian.

You have two natural options:

Barnebarnas tegning henger på veggen. (neutral word order)
På veggen henger barnebarnas tegning. (emphasizes the location “on the wall”)

When you move på veggen to the front, the verb henger must still come before the subject barnebarnas tegning, because the verb normally stays in second position in main clauses.

Is there any difference between barnebarnas tegning and barnebarnas tegninger?

Yes:

barnebarnas tegning – the grandchildren’s drawing (one drawing)
barnebarnas tegninger – the grandchildren’s drawings (more than one)

If you wanted to say “the grandchildren’s drawings are hanging on the wall”, you would say:

Barnebarnas tegninger henger på veggen.

Why don’t we add an apostrophe, like barnebarnas’?

Norwegian does not use an apostrophe for the normal possessive -s.

You simply add -s:

Per → Pers bok – Per’s book
barna → barnas leker – the children’s toys
barnebarna → barnebarnas tegning – the grandchildren’s drawing

An apostrophe is only used in some special cases (for example to mark omitted letters, or sometimes after abbreviations), but never in ordinary possessives like this.