Learn Hardcore Norwegian: For barna hans betyr fred og trygghet at de kan leke ute uten frykt. - For his children, peace and a sense of safety mean that they can play outside without fear.

Here for means “for / to / from the point of view of”. The whole phrase For barna hans means “for his children / as far as his children are concerned”.

Placing For barna hans at the start puts emphasis on the children’s perspective. The neutral word order could also be:

Fred og trygghet betyr at barna hans kan leke ute uten frykt.
“Peace and safety mean that his children can play outside without fear.”

Both versions are grammatically correct. The original simply highlights for the children as the topic of the sentence.

Why is it barna hans and not hans barn? What is the difference?

Both are possible, but they sound slightly different:

barna hans
- literally: “the-children his”
- more common in everyday speech
- neutral or slightly less emotionally loaded
- often used just as a factual “his children”
hans barn
- literally: “his children”
- puts more focus on hans (“his”)
- can sound more formal, written, or emotionally loaded, depending on context

In many contexts they are interchangeable, but in natural, spoken Norwegian about your own or someone’s children, barna hans / barna mine / barna våre is very typical.

Word order rule of thumb:

Postposed possessive (after the noun): barna hans, boka mi, huset vårt
– very common, often more neutral/natural.
Preposed possessive (before the noun): hans barn, min bok, vårt hus
– more emphasis on the possessor, often more formal or contrastive.

Why is it barna and not barnene or just barn?

Barn is an irregular neuter noun in Norwegian.

Its forms:

Singular:
- indefinite: et barn (a child)
- definite: barnet (the child)
Plural:
- indefinite: barn (children)
- definite: barna (the children)

There is no form barnene in standard Norwegian.

In the sentence, we mean “the children”, so we need the definite plural:

barna hans = “his children” (literally: “the-children his”)

What exactly does betyr mean, and how is it conjugated?

betyr is the present tense of the verb å bety, which means “to mean / to signify”.

Basic forms:

infinitive: å bety – to mean
present: betyr – mean(s)
preterite (past): betydde
past participle: har betydd

In this sentence:

… betyr … at de kan leke …
= “(… ) means that they can play …”

You also see bety in phrases like:

Hva betyr dette ordet? – What does this word mean?
Det betyr mye for meg. – It means a lot to me.

What is the difference in meaning and usage between fred and trygghet?

Both are abstract nouns, but they are not exact synonyms:

fred
- primary meaning: peace (absence of war or conflict)
- also more general: calm, peacefulness
- examples:
  - verdensfred – world peace
  - indre fred – inner peace
trygghet
- meaning: safety, security, feeling safe
- it is about not being in danger and feeling secure
- examples:
  - føle trygghet – feel safe / feel secure
  - økonomisk trygghet – financial security

In this sentence, fred og trygghet together mean something like:

“peace and safety / a peaceful and safe environment”

What grammatical gender do fred and trygghet have?

fred is a masculine noun:
- indefinite: en fred (rare alone, usually in set phrases)
- definite: freden
trygghet is also masculine in Bokmål (it can also be used as feminine, but masculine is very common):
- masculine pattern:
  - en trygghet
  - tryggheten

In practice, you often see them without article in abstract uses, as in this sentence:

fred og trygghet – peace and safety

Why is at used here, and what does it do in the sentence?

In this sentence, at is a subordinating conjunction that introduces a content clause (a “that”-clause):

… betyr fred og trygghet at de kan leke ute uten frykt.
= “… peace and safety mean that they can play outside without fear.”

The clause at de kan leke ute uten frykt is what fred og trygghet “mean” for the children.

Compare:

Jeg vet at han kommer. – I know that he is coming.
Hun sier at det er sant. – She says that it is true.

You generally cannot omit at in Norwegian the way you sometimes can drop “that” in English. You need it here.

Why is it de kan leke and not dem kan leke?

Norwegian distinguishes between subject and object pronouns:

subject forms: jeg, du, han, hun, vi, dere, de
object forms: meg, deg, ham/han, henne, oss, dere, dem

In this sentence, they are the subject of the verb kan leke:

de kan leke = they can play

So you must use the subject form de, not the object form dem.

You use dem when it is the object:

Jeg ser dem. – I see them.
Hun passer på dem. – She looks after them.

Why is the verb leke used here instead of spille, since English just has “play”?

Norwegian splits English “to play” mainly into leke and spille:

å leke
- to play in the sense of children playing, make-believe, informal play
- examples:
  - Barna leker i hagen. – The children are playing in the garden.
  - De leker med lego. – They are playing with Lego.
å spille
- to play a game, a sport, or an instrument
- examples:
  - spille fotball – play football
  - spille piano – play the piano
  - spille sjakk – play chess

Because the sentence is about children playing outside in a general, free-play way, leke is the correct verb.

What is the difference between ute and utenfor? Could you also say leke utenfor?

Both relate to being outside, but the nuance is different:

ute
- general “outside / outdoors”
- not focused on a specific boundary
- examples:
  - Barna er ute. – The children are outside.
  - Det er kaldt ute. – It is cold outside.
utenfor
- literally “outside of / outside (something specific)”
- often implies outside a particular building, area, line, limit
- examples:
  - Barna leker utenfor huset. – The children are playing outside the house.
  - Han står utenfor butikken. – He is standing outside the shop.

In leke ute, the focus is just that they can play outdoors in general.
You could say leke utenfor huset, utenfor blokka, etc., if you want to be specific about what they are outside of.

What is the difference between ute and uten, and how does uten frykt work?

They look similar but are completely different words:

ute
- adverb: “out, outside”
- describes place
- example: De er ute. – They are outside.
uten
- preposition: “without”
- used with a noun or infinitive:
  - uten frykt – without fear
  - uten mat – without food
  - uten å si noe – without saying anything

In uten frykt, uten governs the noun frykt:

uten frykt = “without fear”

You could also express a similar idea with redd (afraid):

… at de kan leke ute uten å være redde.
– “… that they can play outside without being afraid.”

Why is it frykt and not redd here? What is the difference?

frykt is a noun: “fear”
- uten frykt = “without fear”
- more formal/neutral and abstract
redd is an adjective: “afraid”
- De er redde. – They are afraid.
- uten å være redde = “without being afraid”

So:

uten frykt focuses on the absence of fear as an abstract thing.
uten å være redde focuses on the children not feeling afraid.

Both are correct; the original simply chooses the noun phrase uten frykt.

Is the word order leke ute uten frykt fixed, or can the adverbs be moved around?

Norwegian word order is fairly flexible for adverbials at the end of a clause, but some orders sound more natural than others.

Possible variants:

leke ute uten frykt – very natural
leke uten frykt ute – also possible, but sounds a bit less smooth here

General tendency:

Verb + direct object (if any)
Place
Manner / other details

So:

leke ute uten frykt
(verb + place + manner/condition)
fits the usual pattern and sounds good.

Putting uten frykt last may give it a bit more emphasis, but it is not necessary here.

Could you also say For hans barn betyr fred og trygghet at …? Would that change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

For hans barn betyr fred og trygghet at de kan leke ute uten frykt.

It is grammatically correct and means essentially the same thing. The difference is mainly in emphasis and style:

barna hans
- more neutral, everyday
- possessive after the noun (very common)
hans barn
- slightly more formal or contrastive
- can emphasize hans (these children are his, not someone else’s)

In many contexts, both are fine, but barna hans sounds more natural in everyday, spoken language.