Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Det lille galleriet der teaterplakatene henger, ligger i en rolig gate nær stasjonen. - The small gallery where the theatre posters hang is located in a quiet street near the station.

a definite noun with an adjective, you normally need double definiteness:
- det lille galleriet = the/that small gallery
  - det = definite article (neuter, singular)
  - lille = adjective in definite form
  - galleriet = noun in definite form (“the gallery”)

You cannot say:

✗ *lille galleriet (missing the article)
✗ *det lite galleriet (wrong adjective form)

So det is required by the grammar when an adjective modifies a definite neuter noun in this way.

Why is it lille galleriet and not lite galleri or lite galleriet?

Two different things are going on:

Definite vs. indefinite
- et lite galleri = a small gallery (indefinite)
- det lille galleriet = the small gallery (definite, with adjective → double definiteness)
- Because the sentence talks about a specific gallery, it uses the definite form.
Adjective forms with neuter nouns
- lite is the neuter indefinite form of the adjective:
  - et lite hus (a small house)
  - et lite galleri (a small gallery)
- lille is the definite (and also used for some special cases, like fixed expressions):
  - det lille huset (the small house)
  - det lille galleriet (the small gallery)

So:

Indefinite: et lite galleri
Definite with adjective: det lille galleriet

Why is it galleriet and not just galleri?

Galleri is a neuter noun:

Indefinite singular: et galleri = a gallery
Definite singular: galleriet = the gallery

In the sentence, we are talking about a specific, known gallery, so we need the definite form:

det lille galleriet = the small gallery

The -et ending marks the definite singular of a neuter noun.

What exactly is der doing in der teaterplakatene henger? Why not hvor?

Here der is a relative adverb meaning “where”, introducing a relative clause that describes the gallery:

der teaterplakatene henger = where the theatre posters hang

In Norwegian:

der is the normal choice for “where” in relative clauses referring to a place:
- huset der jeg bor = the house where I live
- galleriet der teaterplakatene henger = the gallery where the theatre posters hang
hvor is mainly:
- a question word:
  - Hvor bor du? = Where do you live?
- used in some types of indirect questions:
  - Jeg vet ikke hvor han bor. = I don’t know where he lives.

Some native speakers do use hvor in place-relative clauses in informal speech, but der is the standard, recommended form here.

Why is the word order der teaterplakatene henger and not der henger teaterplakatene?

This is about main clause vs. subordinate clause word order.

In a main clause, Norwegian has V2 word order: the verb usually comes second:
- I dag henger teaterplakatene her.
  (Today the posters hang here.)
In a subordinate clause, like one introduced by der, the verb is not forced to be second. The usual pattern is:
- [subjunction/adverb] + subject
  - verb …
- der
  - teaterplakatene
    - henger

So:

Correct subordinate clause:
- der teaterplakatene henger
*der henger teaterplakatene would sound like a main clause and is ungrammatical as a relative clause in standard Norwegian.

What does teaterplakatene mean grammatically? Why the ending -ene?

Teaterplakatene is:

teater = theatre
plakat = poster
teaterplakat = theatre poster (compound noun)
teaterplakater = theatre posters (indefinite plural)
teaterplakatene = the theatre posters (definite plural)

So:

The suffix -ene marks the definite plural of many masculine and feminine nouns:
- stol → stoler → stolene (chair → chairs → the chairs)
- plakat → plakater → plakatene (poster → posters → the posters)

In context: teaterplakatene = the theatre posters.

Why is there a comma before ligger: … henger, ligger i en rolig gate …?

The part Det lille galleriet der teaterplakatene henger is the entire subject of the sentence. It’s fairly long and includes a relative clause.

Norwegian often allows (and style guides often encourage) a comma between a long subject and the rest of the clause, to make the sentence easier to read:

Det lille galleriet der teaterplakatene henger, ligger i en rolig gate …

So:

Subject: Det lille galleriet der teaterplakatene henger
Verb: ligger
Rest: i en rolig gate nær stasjonen

The comma is not separating “henger” and “ligger” as verbs in the same clause; it’s marking the end of the subject before the main verb ligger.

Why is it ligger and not simply er (“is”) to express location?

Norwegian often uses location verbs instead of just “to be” to describe where something is:

ligger = lies/is situated (used for places, buildings, towns, etc.)
står = stands (used for upright objects, buildings in some contexts)
sitter = sits (for people/animals sitting, or figuratively for something “sitting” somewhere)

For fixed locations of buildings or places, ligger is very common:

Oslo ligger i Norge. = Oslo is (located) in Norway.
Huset ligger ved elva. = The house is (located) by the river.
Det lille galleriet … ligger i en rolig gate. = The little gallery is located in a quiet street.

You can use er in some contexts, but ligger sounds more natural and specific for geographical or spatial location.

Why do we say i en rolig gate and not på en rolig gate?

The choice between i and på is mostly lexical, learned phrase by phrase.

For streets, Norwegian normally uses i (in):

Jeg bor i denne gata. = I live on this street.
Hotellet ligger i en travel gate. = The hotel is on a busy street.
Galleriet ligger i en rolig gate. = The gallery is on a quiet street.

Using på with gate is generally not idiomatic in standard Norwegian for this meaning.

So:

English: on a street
Norwegian: i en gate (literally “in a street”)

What does rolig mean here? Is it “quiet”, “calm”, or “peaceful”?

Rolig can mean “calm, quiet, peaceful”, depending on context.

For a person:
- Han er veldig rolig. = He is very calm.
For a place, street, environment:
- en rolig gate = a quiet/peaceful street
- et rolig område = a quiet area

Here, en rolig gate most naturally means:

a quiet street (little traffic, not noisy)
possibly also with a nuance of peaceful, calm atmosphere

So the best English translations would be “a quiet street” or “a peaceful street”.

What does nær mean in nær stasjonen, and how is it different from ved or i nærheten av?

Nær here is a preposition meaning “near / close to”:

nær stasjonen = near the station / close to the station

Comparison:

nær
- noun:
  - Galleriet ligger nær stasjonen. = The gallery is near the station.
ved
- noun:
  - Galleriet ligger ved stasjonen. = The gallery is by/at the station (often a bit closer, more “right by”).
i nærheten av
- noun:
  - Galleriet ligger i nærheten av stasjonen. = The gallery is in the vicinity of the station / close to the station.

All three can overlap in meaning, but:

nær is a neutral “near”
ved can suggest right by / next to / by the side of
i nærheten av is a bit more wordy and can be slightly more formal.

Why is it en rolig gate but det lille galleriet (with det, not en)?

This is about grammatical gender and adjective agreement:

gate is a feminine (or masculine) noun in Bokmål, but it is usually treated as masculine in standard forms:
- en gate (a street)
- gata / gaten (the street)
- en rolig gate (a quiet street) – indefinite, masculine article en
galleri is a neuter noun:
- et galleri (a gallery)
- galleriet (the gallery)
- det lille galleriet (the small gallery) – definite, neuter article det
  - definite adjective + definite noun

So:

en is the indefinite article for masculine/feminine nouns.
et is the indefinite article for neuter nouns.
den/det/de are used as definite articles with adjectives:
- den lille bilen (masc/fem)
- det lille galleriet (neuter)
- de små husene (plural)

Here, gate is indefinite → en rolig gate
galleri is definite with adjective → det lille galleriet

Why are teaterplakatene and stasjonen in the definite form?

Both refer to specific, identifiable things in the context:

teaterplakatene = the theatre posters
- We assume there is a specific set of posters everyone knows about (e.g., the ones currently up in that gallery).
stasjonen = the station
- Typically there is one main station in a given area, so it’s “the” station, not just any station.

Norwegian uses definite endings on the noun itself:

stasjon → stasjonen = the station
teaterplakater → teaterplakatene = the theatre posters

English uses a separate article “the”.
Norwegian usually attaches definiteness to the noun with a suffix, and (if an adjective is used) also has a separate article before the adjective (double definiteness), as in det lille galleriet.