Eleven gjør lekser på hjemmekontoret.

The pupil does homework in the home office.

Breakdown of Eleven gjør lekser på hjemmekontoret.

• gjøre: to do
• på: in
• leksen: the homework
• hjemmekontoret: the home office
• eleven: the student

Questions & Answers about Eleven gjør lekser på hjemmekontoret.

Does Eleven mean the number eleven here?

No.

In Norwegian:

• eleven (with a lowercase e) = the pupil / the student (definite form of elev)
• elleve = eleven (the number 11)

So in this sentence, Eleven (capitalized only because it starts the sentence) means “the pupil / the student”, not the number.

What is the difference between elev and eleven?

They are different forms of the same noun:

• en elev = a pupil / a student (indefinite singular)
• eleven = the pupil / the student (definite singular)
• elever = pupils / students (indefinite plural)
• elevene = the pupils / the students (definite plural)

So Eleven gjør lekser… = “The student does homework…”

Does elev mean a school pupil or a university student?

Mainly a school pupil (primary, lower secondary, upper secondary).

For university, Norwegians usually say:

• en student = a (university/college) student

So eleven most naturally suggests a child or teenager in school, not a university student.

Why is it gjør lekser and not something like leser lekser?

Norwegian uses the fixed expression:

• å gjøre lekser = to do homework

So:

• Eleven gjør lekser = “The student is doing homework.”

lese = “to read,” so leser lekser would sound odd; homework is not always reading, and the idiomatic phrase is gjøre lekser.

Why is lekser plural? Can you say it in the singular?

In everyday Norwegian, “homework” is almost always plural:

• lekser = homework (as a general mass of tasks)
• å gjøre lekser = to do homework

You can talk about a specific piece:

• en lekse = one assignment / one homework task
• leksa = the assignment / that homework task

Examples:

• Jeg må gjøre lekser. = I have to do homework.
• Jeg må gjøre ferdig leksa. = I must finish the (specific) homework assignment.

In your sentence, it’s general homework, so lekser is natural.

What’s the difference between gjør lekser and gjør leksene sine?

• gjør lekser = is doing homework (in general)
• gjør leksene sine = is doing his/her own homework (all the given homework, more specific)

So:

• Eleven gjør lekser på hjemmekontoret.
  = The pupil does homework in the home office. (neutral, general)

• Eleven gjør leksene sine på hjemmekontoret.
  = The pupil is doing their own assigned homework in the home office (emphasizes “their own” tasks, all of them).

Why is the verb gjør used here, and what tense is it?

gjør is the present tense of å gjøre (“to do / to make”).

Norwegian present tense covers both:

• English simple present: The pupil *does homework at the home office.*
• English present continuous: The pupil *is doing homework at the home office.*

So Eleven gjør lekser can be translated either way, depending on context.

Why is the preposition på used in på hjemmekontoret instead of i?

For many workplaces and rooms, Norwegian normally uses på where English might use “in” or “at”:

• på kontoret = at the office
• på skolen = at school
• på kjøkkenet = in the kitchen (as a workplace or activity location)

Hjemmekontor is thought of as a “workplace,” so:

• på hjemmekontoret = at/in the home office (natural expression)

i hjemmekontoret is rare and would sound like you’re emphasizing the physical inside of the room in a technical way, not normal everyday speech.

Why is it hjemmekontoret (definite) and not just hjemmekontor?

• (et) hjemmekontor = a home office (indefinite)
• hjemmekontoret = the home office (definite)

In your sentence, the speaker is talking about a specific, known home office, probably the one belonging to the pupil or the family. That’s why the definite form is used:

• på hjemmekontoret = in/at the home office (the one we both know about)

Whose home office is it? How would you say “in his/her home office”?

As written, på hjemmekontoret doesn’t say whose it is; context decides.

To be explicit:

• på sitt hjemmekontor = in his/her own home office
  (refers back to the subject: the pupil’s own office)

• på lærerens hjemmekontor = at the teacher’s home office
• på foreldrenes hjemmekontor = at the parents’ home office

So you could say:

• Eleven gjør lekser på sitt hjemmekontor.
  = The pupil does homework in his/her own home office.

Can I move på hjemmekontoret to the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. Both are correct:

• Eleven gjør lekser på hjemmekontoret.
• På hjemmekontoret gjør eleven lekser.

Norwegian word order rule: the finite verb must be in second position (V2 rule).

So when you move på hjemmekontoret (an adverbial) to the front, the verb gjør must still come right after it:

• På hjemmekontoret (1st position) gjør (2nd) eleven (3rd) lekser.

How do you pronounce gjør?

Approximate pronunciation: /jór/ (similar to “your” but with a shorter vowel and more rounded lips).

Key points:

• gj- is pronounced like an English y sound.
• The ø sound is like the vowel in French “peu” or German “schön”; English has no exact equivalent, but you can say something between “yur” and “jör.”

So gjør sounds roughly like “yur” with rounded lips.

How do you pronounce hjemmekontoret?

Roughly: /ˈjæm.ə.kɔnˌtuː.rə/

Broken down:

• hjemme ≈ “YEM-meh”

  • hj → sounds like y
  • e here is like the e in “bed”

• kontor ≈ “kon-TOOR”
  (stress on -tor)

• -et (definite ending) ≈ a weak “-eh” sound.

So hjemmekontoret ≈ “YEM-meh-kon-TOOR-eh.”

Is elev masculine, feminine, or something else? Which article do I use?

elev is a common gender noun and is treated as masculine in practice:

• en elev = a pupil / student
• eleven = the pupil / student

There’s no separate feminine form; it’s gender‑neutral in meaning (it can refer to boys or girls), but grammatically it behaves like a masculine en‑word.