Vi liker barnas tegning.

We like the children's drawing.

Breakdown of Vi liker barnas tegning.

• vi: we
• like: to like
• tegningen: the drawing
• barnas: children's

Questions & Answers about Vi liker barnas tegning.

What exactly does liker mean here? Is it more like English like or love?

In this sentence liker corresponds to English like.

• Vi liker barnas tegning.
  → We like the children’s drawing.

Norwegian has another common verb for stronger emotion: elsker (to love).

• Vi elsker barnas tegning.
  → We love the children’s drawing.

So:

• liker = find pleasant, enjoy, have a positive opinion of
• elsker = feel strong love for (people, sometimes things)

In everyday speech, liker is the normal, neutral choice when talking about things like drawings, food, music, etc.

Why is the verb liker the same with vi (we)? Shouldn't it change like I like / he likes in English?

Norwegian verbs do not change according to person or number in the present tense.

So:

• jeg liker – I like
• du liker – you like
• han/hun liker – he/she likes
• vi liker – we like
• dere liker – you (plural) like
• de liker – they like

The verb form liker is used for all of these subjects. There is no -s ending like English he likes.

Why does barnas end in -s? What does that form mean?

The ending -s on barnas shows possession (genitive case).

• barn = child / children (base form)
• barna = the children
• barnas = the children’s

So barnas tegning literally means the children’s drawing.

In Norwegian, adding -s to a noun is a common way to show possession:

• Mari → Maris bok (Mari’s book)
• barna → barnas tegning (the children’s drawing)

What is the difference between barn, barna, and barnas?

They are different forms of the same noun:

• barn

  • meaning: child or children (context decides; the plural is irregular)
  • example: Jeg har barn. – I have children.

• barna

  • meaning: the children
  • example: Barna leker. – The children are playing.

• barnas

  • meaning: the children’s (possessive)
  • example: Vi liker barnas tegning. – We like the children’s drawing.

So the sentence is about a drawing that belongs to the children, not just children in general.

Why is there no article like the in front of barnas tegning?

In English you say the children’s drawing, with the before children’s.

In Norwegian, possession with -s already carries the definiteness, so you do not add a separate article:

• barn – child / children
• tegning – drawing
• en tegning – a drawing
• tegningen – the drawing
• barnas tegning – the children’s drawing (no article)

You cannot say ✗ den barnas tegning.
That would be like saying the the children’s drawing.

Can I also say Vi liker tegningen til barna? Does it mean the same thing?

Yes, Vi liker tegningen til barna is also correct and means the same:

• Vi liker barnas tegning.
• Vi liker tegningen til barna.
  → We like the children’s drawing.

Differences:

• barnas tegning (with -s) is short and a bit more compact/style-neutral.
• tegningen til barna (literally: the drawing to the children) is often a bit more spoken and very common in everyday language, especially when the possessor is longer:
  
  • bilen til naboen – the neighbor’s car
  • vennene til søsteren min – my sister’s friends

Both are fine in normal speech; with simple possessors (like barna), the -s form is usually preferred in writing.

Why is tegning singular here and not plural like tegningene (the drawings)?

Because the sentence talks about one drawing, not several:

• tegning = drawing
• tegninger = drawings
• tegningen = the drawing
• tegningene = the drawings

So:

• Vi liker barnas tegning.
  → We like the children’s drawing (one drawing).

If you wanted to say We like the children’s drawings, you’d say:

• Vi liker barnas tegninger.
  or
• Vi liker tegningene til barna.

Can I move the words around, like Barnas tegning liker vi? Is that still correct?

Yes, Barnas tegning liker vi is grammatically correct.

• Vi liker barnas tegning. – neutral statement
• Barnas tegning liker vi. – puts extra emphasis on the children’s drawing, as in:
  “It’s the children’s drawing that we like (not something else).”

Norwegian word order is fairly flexible for emphasis, as long as the verb stays in second position in main clauses. In Barnas tegning liker vi, the order is:

1. Barnas tegning – fronted element (topic/emphasis)
2. liker – verb (must be in 2nd position)
3. vi – subject

How do you pronounce Vi liker barnas tegning?

Approximate pronunciation in a neutral East Norwegian accent:

• Vi – [vee] (like English vee)
• liker – [LEE-ker]; li like lee, -ker with a light r
• barnas – [BAR-nas]; a as in father, rolled or tapped r
• tegning – [TÆI-ning if using IPA [ˈtæ̂iŋnɪŋ]]
  
  • tei is like English “tie” or “eye”, but a bit shorter
  • -gning is one syllable: -ning, with a soft g (often almost silent)

Said fluently:
Vi liker barnas tegning → roughly: VEE LEE-ker BAR-nas TIE-ning

Sometimes I see liker å plus another verb. Why is there no å after liker in this sentence?

Å is used when liker is followed by a verb, not a noun.

1. liker + noun (thing/person) – no å

   • Vi liker barnas tegning. – We like the children’s drawing.
   • Jeg liker kaffe. – I like coffee.
   • De liker musikk. – They like music.

2. liker + å + verb – when you like doing something

   • Vi liker å tegne. – We like to draw. / We like drawing.
   • Jeg liker å lese. – I like to read.
   • Hun liker å danse. – She likes to dance.

So here, tegning is a noun, so you use just liker + noun, without å.