Breakdown of Vi går på turstien i skogen.
Questions & Answers about Vi går på turstien i skogen.
The infinitive of the verb is å gå (to walk, to go).
Most Norwegian verbs form the present tense by adding -r to the infinitive stem:
- å snakke → snakker (to speak → speak / are speaking)
- å bo → bor (to live → live / are living)
Å gå is slightly irregular: its present form is går, not gåer.
So vi går = we walk / we are walking.
Norwegian usually has just one present tense form. It covers both:
- English simple present: “we walk”
- English present continuous: “we are walking”
So vi går can mean both “we walk” and “we are walking”, depending on context.
If you really want to emphasize the ongoing action, you can say:
- Vi holder på å gå på turstien i skogen.
literally “We are in the process of walking on the hiking trail in the forest.”
But in normal speech, vi går is enough.
Vi is the subject form of “we”.
Oss is the object form, like “us”.
- Vi går på turstien. = We walk on the hiking trail. (subject)
- De ser oss. = They see us. (object)
So you need vi here because “we” is doing the action.
Turstien is a compound noun with a definite ending:
- tur = trip, outing, walk, hike
- sti = path, trail
- en (as a suffix) = the (definite article for a masculine noun)
So:
- tur + sti → tursti = hiking trail / walking path
- tursti + en → turstien = the hiking trail / the walking path
Norwegian often puts the word for “the” at the end of the noun as a suffix.
The preposition på is typically used for surfaces, roads, paths, and public places:
- på veien = on the road
- på gata = on the street
- på skolen = at school
- på turstien = on the hiking trail
I means in / inside, used when you are inside something:
- i huset = in the house
- i skogen = in the forest
You are on the path, not inside it, so Norwegian uses på turstien, not i turstien.
Turstien is in the definite singular:
- tursti = a / one hiking trail (indefinite)
- turstien = the hiking trail (definite)
Norwegian often uses the definite form when:
- the thing is already known or specific, or
- it is clear from context what you are talking about.
Vi går på turstien i skogen suggests a specific trail in that forest, something like:
- “We are walking on the hiking trail in the forest.”
If you said Vi går på en tursti i skogen, it would be “We are walking on a hiking trail in the forest”, one of possibly many.
Again, this is a definite vs. indefinite choice:
- skog = forest (base form)
- en skog = a forest (indefinite)
- skogen = the forest (definite)
I skogen = in the forest.
Norwegian tends to use the definite form for places that are:
- specific (a certain forest), or
- seen as a general environment you are in (the forest as a setting).
So i skogen sounds natural as “in the forest (area)” – maybe the one you know or are in now.
I en skog would sound more like “in some (unspecified) forest”.
Both sti and skog are masculine nouns in Norwegian:
- en sti (a path) → stien (the path)
- en skog (a forest) → skogen (the forest)
For tursti:
- Base word is sti, so it behaves like a masculine noun:
- en tursti = a hiking trail
- turstien = the hiking trail
That’s why the endings are -en: turstien, skogen.
Yes, that is correct Norwegian.
Norwegian has a V2 word order rule: the finite verb (here går) must be in second position in main clauses.
- Original: Vi (1) går (2) på turstien i skogen.
- Alternative: I skogen (1) går (2) vi på turstien.
In the second version, i skogen is placed first for emphasis (“In the forest, we walk on the trail”), but går still comes second. Both sentences are natural, just with slightly different emphasis.
Approximate pronunciations (standard Eastern Norwegian):
går → /ɡoːr/
- å like the vowel in British “law” or “door”, but a bit more closed, and long.
- Final r is usually pronounced, though lightly.
turstien → about /ˈtʉːrstiən/ (some dialects have a “sh” sound /ʂ/ for rs)
- tu = /tʉː/ (like German “ü”; lips rounded, tongue high)
- r often taps/flaps the tongue once.
- sti = /stiː/ (like English “stee”)
- en = /ən/ (a reduced “uhn” sound at the end).
skogen → /ˈskuːɡən/
- sko = /skuː/ (like “skoo”)
- g is a normal hard g before e here.
- en = /ən/.
So roughly: går ~ “goor”, turstien ~ “TOOR-stee-uhn”, skogen ~ “SKOO-guhn”.
Yes:
å gå tur = to go for a walk / to go hiking (general activity)
- Vi går tur. = We’re going for a walk. (No specific place mentioned.)
å gå på turstien = to walk on the hiking trail (a specific path)
- Vi går på turstien. = We are walking on the hiking trail.
So å gå tur is about the activity, while å gå på turstien is about where you’re walking.
Yes, Vi går i skogen is a perfectly correct sentence.
- Vi går i skogen. = We are walking in the forest.
Without på turstien, you’re simply saying that you are walking somewhere in the forest.
With på turstien, you specify that you are walking on the hiking trail that is in the forest.
There are a few related words, with slightly different nuances:
- tursti – hiking trail / walking path (very common, neutral)
- sti – path, trail (more general, can be any small path)
- turvei – literally “tour-road”, often a wider, prepared walking/biking trail, sometimes gravel/asphalt
- løype – track/trail, often used for ski tracks (e.g. skiløype)
In a forest context where people walk or hike, tursti or simply sti are the most common.