Stuen er ren nå.

to be

Breakdown of Stuen er ren nå.

• nå: now
• stuen: the living room
• ren: pure

Questions & Answers about Stuen er ren nå.

Why does stue become stuen in this sentence?

The base noun is stue (living room). In Norwegian, the definite article (the) is usually added as an ending on the noun, not as a separate word.

For masculine and feminine nouns in Bokmål, the standard definite singular ending is -en:

• en stue = a living room
• stuen = the living room

So stuen literally means the living room. That is why the sentence starts with Stuen and not Stue.

Could I also say stua instead of stuen?

Yes, stua is also used, but there are some nuances:

• stuen = more standard/written Bokmål form
• stua = more colloquial and often used in spoken language and informal writing

Both come from stue (living room):

• ei stue → stua (feminine pattern)
• en stue → stuen (masculine pattern)

Modern Bokmål allows treating many nouns as either masculine or feminine. So you may see:

• en stue – stuen
  or
• ei stue – stua

In many textbooks and formal contexts, you’ll see stuen. In everyday speech, stua is very common.

What is the basic form of stuen, and what is its grammatical gender?

The basic (dictionary) form is stue.

Gender: in Bokmål, stue can be:

• masculine: en stue – stuen
• feminine: ei stue – stua

Dictionaries usually list it as en stue (masculine) but will often note that it can also be feminine (ei stue). Both are correct Bokmål. The choice mostly affects:

• the indefinite article (en vs ei)
• the definite ending (-en vs -a)

Why is the verb er used here, and what form is it?

Er is the present tense of the verb å være (to be).

Main forms of å være:

• infinitive: å være = to be
• present: er = am / is / are
• past: var = was / were
• past participle: vært = been

In Stuen er ren nå, er simply corresponds to English is:

• Stuen er ren nå. = The living room is clean now.

Norwegian uses the same form er for all persons (I/you/he/she/it/we/they), unlike English.

Why is the adjective ren used, and how does it change with gender/number?

Ren means clean (not dirty). It is an adjective, and in Norwegian adjectives usually agree with the noun in gender and number.

The main forms of ren are:

• ren – masculine or feminine singular
• rent – neuter singular
• rene – plural (for all genders) and also used after a definite noun in some patterns

Examples:

• Stuen er ren. (masc/fem singular) – The living room is clean.
• Kjøkkenet er rent. (neuter singular) – The kitchen is clean.
• Romene er rene. (plural) – The rooms are clean.

In Stuen er ren nå, stue is masculine/feminine singular, so the adjective is ren.

Why is the word order Stuen er ren nå and not Stuen er nå ren?

Both Stuen er ren nå and Stuen er nå ren are grammatically possible, but they have slightly different feel:

• Stuen er ren nå.

  • Very natural, neutral word order.
  • nå (now) comes at the end, which is common for time adverbs in simple statements.

• Stuen er nå ren.

  • Also correct, but sounds more marked or stylistic.
  • You might use this if you want to slightly emphasize the change of state (that it is now clean, in contrast to before), but most of the time people will simply say Stuen er ren nå.

For everyday speech and writing, Stuen er ren nå is the default choice.

Can I move nå to the beginning, like Nå er stuen ren?

Yes, that is very natural and common:

• Nå er stuen ren. = Now the living room is clean.

Both:

• Stuen er ren nå.
• Nå er stuen ren.

are normal, everyday sentences.

Difference in nuance:

• Nå er stuen ren. often highlights the time or change a bit more strongly (as in: Now it’s clean, finally!).
• Stuen er ren nå. is more neutral and descriptive.

But in real life, they are often interchangeable.

How would I turn this into a question: “Is the living room clean now?” in Norwegian?

You form yes/no questions by inverting the subject and the verb:

Statement:

• Stuen er ren nå. – The living room is clean now.

Question:

• Er stuen ren nå? – Is the living room clean now?

So the pattern is:

• Er (verb) + stuen (subject) + ren
  • nå?

What is the difference between ren and ryddig when talking about a room?

Both can be used about rooms, but they focus on different things:

• ren = clean (not dirty)

  • Focus on cleanliness: no dust, no stains, it has been washed.
  • Stuen er ren. – The living room is clean (as in washed, not dirty).

• ryddig = tidy, orderly

  • Focus on order: things are in their place, not messy.
  • Stuen er ryddig. – The living room is tidy (not cluttered or chaotic).

You can combine them:

• Stuen er ren og ryddig nå. – The living room is clean and tidy now.

Does Stuen er ren nå mean “has been cleaned now,” or just “is clean now”? How do I express that it has been cleaned?

Stuen er ren nå literally states the current state: The living room is clean now. It does not itself specify how or when it became clean, only that right now it is clean.

If you want to emphasize that it has been cleaned (the action), you can use:

• Stuen har blitt rengjort. – The living room has been cleaned.
• Stuen er blitt rengjort. – Also used, same meaning in practice.

You can still add nå:

• Stuen har blitt rengjort nå. – The living room has been cleaned now.
• Stuen er ren nå. – The living room is clean now. (resulting state)

How do you pronounce Stuen er ren nå?

Approximate pronunciation in standard Eastern Norwegian:

• Stuen: roughly STOO-en

  • u like in English too, but shorter
  • final -en is like en in taken, but with a clearer n

• er: roughly air but shorter and with a tapped/flapped r (a quick tongue tap)

• ren: roughly rayn

  • r: tapped r
  • e: like ay in day, but shorter
  • n: normal n

• nå: roughly no in English no, but with rounded lips and often a bit more open (close to [noː])

Spoken smoothly, the sentence might sound like:

• STOO-en air rayn noː (with a quick Norwegian r).