Breakdown of Læreren tar elevenes spørsmål på alvor.
læreren
the teacher
ta
to take
spørsmålet
the question
på alvor
seriously
Questions & Answers about Læreren tar elevenes spørsmål på alvor.
What does each word in Læreren tar elevenes spørsmål på alvor literally mean?
Word-by-word:
Læreren – the teacher
- lærer = teacher
- -en = the (definite singular ending)
tar – takes (present tense of å ta = to take)
elevenes – the students’ / the pupils’ (possessive “of the students”)
spørsmål – question / questions (same form for singular and plural in the indefinite)
på – on / in / at (here part of an expression)
alvor – seriousness
So literally something like: “The teacher takes the students’ question(s) in seriousness.” → idiomatically: “The teacher takes the students’ questions seriously.”
What grammar idea is expressed by elevenes spørsmål? Is it like “the students’ questions”?
Yes. Elevenes spørsmål is a possessive construction, equivalent to:
- the students’ questions
- the questions of the students
Grammar-wise:
- elevenes = “the students’” (definite plural + possessive -s)
- spørsmål = “question(s)”
Norwegian often prefers this [possessor]-s + [thing possessed] pattern instead of an of-phrase:
- elevenes bøker = the students’ books
- Norges hovedstad = the capital of Norway
So elevenes spørsmål is the most natural way to say “the students’ questions.”