Learn Hardcore Norwegian: En frivillig hjelper barna i nabolaget. - A volunteer helps the children in the neighborhood.

This is similar to English using adjectives as nouns, like the poor, the rich, but in Norwegian it’s even more common and works very naturally:

en ansatt = an employee (literally “a employed”)
en syk = a sick person
en frivillig = a volunteer

Why is the article en used before frivillig?

En is the indefinite article for common gender nouns in Norwegian (like en stol, en bil).

When an adjective is turned into a noun referring to a person, it almost always takes common gender, so you say:

en frivillig = a volunteer
en gammel (person) = an old person
en ansatt = an employee

So en is used because frivillig here functions as a common-gender noun meaning “volunteer.”

What tense is hjelper, and what does it tell us?

Hjelper is the present tense of the verb å hjelpe (to help).

In Norwegian, the present tense is used both for:

actions happening right now:
- En frivillig hjelper barna nå. – A volunteer is helping the children now.
and general or repeated actions (habitual):
- En frivillig hjelper barna i nabolaget. – A volunteer helps the children in the neighborhood (in general / regularly).

Norwegian doesn’t need a separate “-ing” form for the present like English does.

Why is it barna and not just barn?

The base noun is barn (child), which is a neuter noun:

et barn = a child
barn = children (indefinite plural)
barnet = the child (definite singular)
barna = the children (definite plural)

So barna means the children.

In the sentence En frivillig hjelper barna i nabolaget, the idea is “helps the children (specific, known group) in the neighborhood,” not just children in general.

How can barn mean both “child” and “children”? That’s confusing.

It looks confusing at first, but it follows a regular Norwegian pattern for many neuter nouns:

For barn:

et barn = one child (indefinite singular)
barn = children (indefinite plural)
barnet = the child (definite singular)
barna = the children (definite plural)

So the form without an ending (barn) can be both singular and plural, but the article or ending tells you which it is.

In this sentence, barna clearly shows it’s definite plural: the children.

What does i nabolaget mean exactly, and how is nabolaget formed?

I nabolaget literally means in the neighborhood.

The noun is:

et nabolag = a neighborhood
- nabo = neighbor
- lag = group / team / area (in some compounds)

Its definite forms are:

nabolaget = the neighborhood

So i nabolaget = in the neighborhood (a specific, known local area).

Why is nabolaget definite (“the neighborhood”) and not just et nabolag?

Using the in Norwegian (definite form) often matches when English also uses the, especially when both the speaker and listener know which place is meant.

i nabolaget = in the neighborhood (the local one around us, understood from context)

If you said:

En frivillig hjelper barna i et nabolag.

it would sound like “A volunteer helps the children in a neighborhood” – some unspecified neighborhood, not necessarily the one where they live. That’s less natural in this context.

Why is the preposition i used with nabolaget? Could it be på nabolaget?

With nabolag, the normal preposition is i:

i nabolaget = in the neighborhood

In Norwegian, i is usually used for being in an area, place, or space.
På is used with some specific types of places (islands, surfaces, institutions, etc.), but with nabolag you say i.

På nabolaget would sound wrong or at least very odd.

Is the word order En frivillig hjelper barna i nabolaget fixed, or can it be changed?

The basic, most neutral order is:

[Subject] En frivillig
[Verb] hjelper
[Object] barna
[Place] i nabolaget

So: En frivillig hjelper barna i nabolaget.

You can move the place phrase to the front for emphasis or style:

I nabolaget hjelper en frivillig barna.

This is still correct, but it emphasizes in the neighborhood more. The verb still comes in second position, which is a key rule in Norwegian main clauses (V2 word order).

What is the difference between En frivillig hjelper barna and Den frivillige hjelper barna?

Both are grammatically correct, but they mean different things:

En frivillig hjelper barna
= A volunteer helps the children (some volunteer, not specified which one).
Den frivillige hjelper barna
= The volunteer helps the children (a specific one we already know or have mentioned).

Formally:

en frivillig = a volunteer (indefinite)
den frivillige = the volunteer (definite: den
- adjective with -e ending)

Can frivillig also be used as an adjective in this sentence?

Not in exactly the same place and meaning. In this sentence:

En frivillig is a noun phrase = a volunteer.

If you wanted frivillig as an adjective, you’d attach it to a regular noun:

En frivillig hjelper = a voluntary helper
Frivillig arbeid = voluntary work
Frivillige aktiviteter = voluntary activities

So in En frivillig hjelper barna i nabolaget, frivillig is functioning as a noun, not as an adjective.

How would I say “Volunteers help the children in the neighborhood” (plural)?

You’d make frivillig plural:

Frivillige hjelper barna i nabolaget.
= Volunteers help the children in the neighborhood.

Here:

Frivillige (no article) = volunteers (indefinite plural)
The verb hjelper stays the same; Norwegian verbs do not change with the subject (no -s for 3rd person singular, etc.).

Is there any difference between hjelper barna and hjelper til med barna?

Yes, there is a nuance:

hjelper barna = helps the children
(the children are the direct object; they are being helped)
hjelper til med barna = helps out with the children
(more like helping someone else take care of the children; you’re helping with the children as a task)

Both are correct, but:

hjelper barna is more direct.
hjelper til med barna emphasizes you’re joining in or assisting in the work involving the children.