Learn Hardcore Norwegian: På balkongen har vi en liten fuglemater med mat til fuglene. - On the balcony we have a small bird feeder with food for the birds.

Norwegian often puts a place or time expression first to set the scene, just like English can: On the balcony, we have….
Grammatically, Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in second position.
So if På balkongen comes first, the verb har must come second, and the subject vi comes after that:
På balkongen (1) har (2) vi (3) en liten fuglemater ….
You could also say Vi har en liten fuglemater med mat til fuglene på balkongen, which is equally correct but with a different emphasis: it starts with we rather than the place.

Why is it På balkongen and not I balkongen?

With balconies, Norwegian uses på (on) rather than i (in), because a balcony is treated like a surface or open area, not like a closed space.
So you say:

på balkongen = on the balcony
Similarly:
på terrassen (on the terrace)
på verandaen (on the veranda)
You would use i for enclosed spaces: i huset (in the house), i rommet (in the room).

Why is it balkongen with -en, but en fuglemater with en before the noun?

Norwegian marks definiteness in two ways:

Indefinite: article before the noun – en fuglemater = a bird feeder
Definite: article as an ending – balkongen = the balcony (from en balkong)

In the sentence:

balkongen is definite because it’s a specific, known balcony (probably “our balcony”).
en liten fuglemater is indefinite because it’s being introduced for the first time: a small bird feeder.

Why is it en liten fuglemater and not et lite fuglemater?

Norwegian adjectives and articles must agree with the gender of the noun:

fuglemater is masculine (common gender)
- indefinite article: en
- adjective form: liten

Neuter nouns would use:

et
- lite (for example: et lite hus – a small house).

So the correct combination here is en liten fuglemater.

What are the different forms of liten, and when are they used?

The adjective liten (“small, little”) has special forms:

liten – masculine/feminine singular indefinite: en liten fuglemater
lite – neuter singular indefinite: et lite rom (a small room)
små – plural (all genders): små fuglematere (small bird feeders), små rom (small rooms).

In the sentence, fuglemater is masculine singular indefinite, so we use liten.

Why do we say en liten fuglemater, not en fuglemater liten?

In Norwegian, just like in English, adjectives that directly describe a noun usually come before the noun:

en liten fuglemater = a small bird feeder
et stort hus = a big house

Putting the adjective after the noun (e.g. fuglemater liten) is not normal in this kind of simple description. Adjectives can come after the noun in other structures (for example with er: fuglemateren er liten – “the bird feeder is small”).

What exactly does fuglemater mean, and how is it built?

Fuglemater is a compound noun:

fugl = bird
mater (from the verb mate) = feeder / one who feeds

So fuglemater literally means “bird-feeder” – something that feeds birds.
Compound nouns in Norwegian are usually written as one word: fuglemater, not fugle mater.

What is the difference between fugl, fugler, and fuglene?

They are singular, plural, and definite plural forms of the same noun:

fugl = bird (singular, indefinite)
fugler = birds (plural, indefinite)
fuglene = the birds (plural, definite)

In the sentence, til fuglene = to/for the birds (a specific group of birds, probably the ones that come to the feeder).

Why is it til fuglene and not til fugler?

Both are possible, but they have different nuances:

til fugler = to/for birds (birds in general, very generic)
til fuglene = to/for the birds (a more specific set of birds, often the ones we have in mind: the birds that come to our balcony)

In everyday speech, til fuglene is natural here because we usually think of the birds that visit the feeder.

Why is the preposition til used here instead of for?

til often marks a recipient or destination:

mat til fuglene = food to/for the birds (the birds are the ones who will receive the food).

for is more about benefit, purpose, or on behalf of:

Jeg gjør dette for deg = I do this for you.

Here, mat til fuglene focuses on who the food is meant to go to. Mat for fuglene can also be used, but sounds a bit more like “food suitable for birds” or “food intended for birds (in general)”.

What does med mat til fuglene add to the meaning of en liten fuglemater?

med means with, so en liten fuglemater med mat til fuglene literally means:
“a small bird feeder with food for the birds.”

The phrase med mat til fuglene describes the feeder: it’s not empty; it has food in it.
You could also say …en liten fuglemater som har mat til fuglene, but med mat til fuglene is shorter and more natural here.

How do you pronounce fuglemater and fuglene?

Approximate pronunciation (standard Eastern Norwegian):

fuglemater: FU-gle-ma-ter
- fu like “foo” but shorter
- gle like “gleh” (with a soft g)
- ma like “mah”
- ter like “tehr” (final r is often weak or tapped)
fuglene: FU-gle-ne
- same fu-gle start as fugle- in fuglemater
- ne like “nuh”

Stress is on the first syllable: FUG-le-mater, FUG-le-ne.