Denne organisasjonen støtter vi, fordi den skaper vennskap i nabolaget.

This organization we support, because it creates friendship in the neighborhood.

Breakdown of Denne organisasjonen støtter vi, fordi den skaper vennskap i nabolaget.

• vi: we
• i: in
• den: it
• fordi: because
• denne: this
• skape: to create
• nabolaget: the neighborhood
• støtte: to support
• vennskapet: the friendship
• organisasjonen: the organization

Questions & Answers about Denne organisasjonen støtter vi, fordi den skaper vennskap i nabolaget.

Why does the sentence start with Denne organisasjonen støtter vi instead of the more “English-looking” Vi støtter denne organisasjonen?

Norwegian allows you to move different elements to the front of the sentence to emphasize them, as long as the verb stays in second position (the “V2 rule”).

• Neutral word order: Vi støtter denne organisasjonen, fordi den skaper vennskap i nabolaget.
  (“We support this organization…”)

• Emphatic / topicalized word order: Denne organisasjonen støtter vi, fordi den skaper vennskap i nabolaget.
  Literally: “This organization support we…” = “This organization is the one we support…”

By putting Denne organisasjonen first, the speaker highlights which organization they support, often in contrast to others. Both versions are grammatically correct; the difference is mainly emphasis and style.

Why is it denne organisasjonen and not dette organisasjonen or just organisasjonen?

In Norwegian, demonstratives (denne / dette / disse) agree with the grammatical gender and number of the noun.

• organisasjon is a masculine noun (en organisasjon)
• Its definite singular form is organisasjonen
• The matching demonstrative for masculine singular is denne

So you get:

• denne organisasjonen = this organization
• Not dette organisasjonen (that would be for neuter nouns: dette huset – this house)
• And not just organisasjonen if you want to specifically say this organization rather than simply the organization.

Also note: in Norwegian, with “this/that” you typically use double definiteness:

• denne organisasjonen (this organization)
• den store organisasjonen (the big organization)

You do not say denne organisasjon in modern standard Norwegian.

Why is it fordi den skaper vennskap and not fordi skaper den vennskap, like the verb-second rule in main clauses?

The verb-second (V2) rule applies to main clauses, not to subordinate clauses introduced by words like fordi (because), at (that), hvis (if), etc.

• In a main clause, the verb must be in the second position:

  • Vi støtter organisasjonen. (Subject – Verb – Object)
  • Denne organisasjonen støtter vi. (Fronted object – Verb – Subject)

• In a subordinate clause, the word order is:

  • subordinator – subject – verb – (other stuff)

So after fordi you get:

• fordi den skaper vennskap (because it creates friendship)
  Not: fordi skaper den vennskap – that would sound clearly wrong in Norwegian.

Why is there a comma before fordi here? Is it required?

You can write the sentence with or without a comma before fordi:

• Denne organisasjonen støtter vi, fordi den skaper vennskap i nabolaget.
• Denne organisasjonen støtter vi fordi den skaper vennskap i nabolaget.

Both are acceptable in modern Norwegian.

Guidelines:

• Many style guides say that, in short, closely connected “because”-clauses, the comma is often omitted.
• Adding a comma can give a slight pause and emphasis, sometimes making the reason feel a bit more like a comment or explanation.

In everyday writing, most people would probably skip the comma here. It’s more a matter of style than strict grammar in this case.

Why is it den skaper vennskap and not det skaper vennskap?

Den is referring back to denne organisasjonen (masculine noun organisasjon). Pronouns in Norwegian agree with the gender of the noun:

• organisasjon → masculine → den (it)
• bok (book, en bok) → feminine/masculine → den
• hus (house, et hus) → neuter → det

So:

• den skaper vennskap = it (the organization) creates friendship
• If the noun had been neuter, e.g. dette firmaet (this company), you would use det:
  • Det skaper vennskap i nabolaget.

Using det here would sound wrong because it doesn’t match the gender of organisasjon.

Could you also say Vi støtter denne organisasjonen, fordi den skaper vennskap i nabolaget? Is that the same?

Yes, that sentence is also correct:

• Vi støtter denne organisasjonen, fordi den skaper vennskap i nabolaget.

Differences:

• Vi støtter denne organisasjonen… is the neutral, everyday word order (Subject–Verb–Object).
• Denne organisasjonen støtter vi… gives special emphasis to “this organization” as the topic or contrast.

Meaning-wise, both say the same thing. The version in your example just highlights which organization more strongly.

Why is it vennskap with no article and no plural, even though in English we might say “friendships”?

In Norwegian, vennskap (friendship) is typically treated as a kind of mass / abstract noun, especially in a general sense:

• vennskap = friendship, friendly relations (in general)
• Common to use it without an article:
  • Den skaper vennskap i nabolaget.
    “It creates friendship / creates a sense of friendship in the neighborhood.”

You can say things like nye vennskap (new friendships) when you mean specific, countable instances, but in sentences like this, Norwegian strongly prefers the singular, bare form vennskap over a plural.

Why is it i nabolaget and not just i nabolag?

Nabolag is a neuter noun:

• et nabolag = a neighborhood
• nabolaget = the neighborhood

In this sentence, the idea is “in the neighborhood”, not just in neighborhoods in general. That’s why the definite form is used:

• i nabolaget = in the neighborhood (the local area around you)

If you said i et nabolag, it would mean in a neighborhood (some neighborhood, not necessarily yours). If you said just i nabolag with no article, that would be ungrammatical in this context.

Could you say i vårt nabolag instead of i nabolaget? Would that change the meaning?

Yes, you could say:

• … fordi den skaper vennskap i vårt nabolag.

The nuance:

• i nabolaget = in the neighborhood, usually understood as the local neighborhood, often the speaker’s area, but a bit more general.
• i vårt nabolag = in our neighborhood, more explicitly personal and specific.

Both are natural; i nabolaget is slightly more neutral / general, i vårt nabolag highlights that it’s our own neighborhood.

Why is it organisasjonen (definite) when we already have denne? Isn’t that “double”?

Norwegian likes “double definiteness” in noun phrases with demonstratives or adjectives:

• denne organisasjonen = this organization
• den store organisasjonen = the big organization
• denne store organisasjonen = this big organization

Pattern: [denne / den / det / de] + [adjective (if any)] + [definite noun]

You don’t normally say:

• ✗ denne organisasjon (without -en)
• ✗ den stor organisasjon

So yes, it is “double” compared to English, but that is the normal, correct form in Norwegian.

Can we drop the second clause and just say Denne organisasjonen støtter vi?

Yes, you can:

• Denne organisasjonen støtter vi.

That is a complete sentence meaning “This organization we support.” It sounds focused/emphatic, as if contrasting with others:

• Denne organisasjonen støtter vi. De andre gjør vi ikke.
  “This organization we support. The others we don’t.”

The fordi-clause just adds the reason; the main clause stands fine on its own.

Can we omit the pronoun den and say … fordi skaper vennskap i nabolaget?

No. In Norwegian, you generally must include the subject in finite clauses.

• Correct: … fordi den skaper vennskap i nabolaget.
• Incorrect: ✗ … fordi skaper vennskap i nabolaget.

Unlike some languages that allow “subject drop” in many cases, Norwegian is not a pro-drop language. You need the subject den to refer back to denne organisasjonen.

Could we move the fordi-clause to the front, like in English “Because it creates friendship in the neighborhood, we support this organization”?

Yes, very naturally:

• Fordi den skaper vennskap i nabolaget, støtter vi denne organisasjonen.

Notice the word order in the main clause:

• Fordi den skaper vennskap i nabolaget, støtter vi denne organisasjonen.
  (Subordinate clause first, then main clause with V2: støtter in second position.)

You could also keep the topicalized style:

• Fordi den skaper vennskap i nabolaget, støtter vi denne organisasjonen.
• Fordi den skaper vennskap i nabolaget, støtter vi denne organisasjonen. (same as above)

All of these are grammatical; you just choose the word order you find most natural or most emphatic for the context.