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Elevenes bøker ligger på skrivebordet.

Elevenes bøker ligger på skrivebordet.
The pupils' books are lying on the desk.

Breakdown of Elevenes bøker ligger på skrivebordet.

boken
the book
på
on
ligge
to lie
skrivebordet
the desk
elevenes
pupils’
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Questions & Answers about Elevenes bøker ligger på skrivebordet.

What does the ending -enes in elevenes mean, and how is it formed?

Elevenes is the possessive (genitive) plural of elev (student/pupil).

  • elev = student
  • elever = students (indefinite plural)
  • elevene = the students (definite plural)
  • elevenes = the students’ (possessive form of the definite plural)

In Norwegian, to make a possessive of a definite noun, you usually add -s:

  • elevene → elevene + s = elevenes (the students’)
Why is it bøker and not bøkene in this sentence?

Bøker is the indefinite plural form of bok (book), and bøkene is the definite plural (the books).

Norwegian often uses the indefinite form of the possessed noun when the possessor is definite and stands before it:

  • elevenes bøker = literally: the students’ books (students = definite, books = indefinite)
  • You generally do not say elevenes bøkene. That sounds wrong in standard Norwegian.

So: definite possessor (elevenes) + indefinite possessed noun (bøker) is normal.

Can I say elevenes bøkene to mean “the students’ books”?

No, elevenes bøkene is ungrammatical in standard Norwegian.

You have two natural options:

  1. Elevenes bøker ligger på skrivebordet.
    – Possessor in front, possessed noun in indefinite plural.

  2. Bøkene til elevene ligger på skrivebordet.
    – Definite possessed noun (bøkene) + prepositional phrase with til: til elevene.

So you don’t combine elevenes with bøkene in this structure.

What are the basic singular and plural forms of elev and bok?

Elev (student):

  • en elev = a student (indefinite singular)
  • eleven = the student (definite singular)
  • elever = students (indefinite plural)
  • elevene = the students (definite plural)
  • elevenes = the students’ (genitive/possessive)

Bok (book):

  • en bok = a book
  • boka / boken = the book
  • bøker = books
  • bøkene = the books

Note that bok → bøker is an irregular plural.

Could I also say Bøkene til elevene ligger på skrivebordet? Is it the same meaning?

Yes, that’s a perfectly natural alternative with (essentially) the same meaning.

  • Elevenes bøker ligger på skrivebordet.
  • Bøkene til elevene ligger på skrivebordet.

Both mean the students’ books are on the desk. The difference is:

  • Elevenes bøker: possessive as a suffix (-s) on the possessor.
  • Bøkene til elevene: possessive expressed with til (“of / to”) and a definite possessed noun (bøkene).

Both are very common; the choice is mostly stylistic.

Why is the verb ligger used instead of er?

Norwegian prefers position verbs instead of a general “to be” in many contexts:

  • å ligge = to lie (be lying horizontally, be located)
  • å stå = to stand
  • å sitte = to sit

In this sentence, the books are lying on the desk, so ligger is more natural than er.

  • Elevenes bøker ligger på skrivebordet.
    = literally: The students’ books lie on the desk.

You can say er på skrivebordet, and it will be understood, but ligger sounds more idiomatic because it gives a more precise description of how the books are situated.

How would the sentence change if there were only one book?

Then you need the singular of bok:

  • Elevens bok ligger på skrivebordet.
    = The student’s book is (lying) on the desk.

Changes:

  • elevenes → elevens (the student’s, singular)
  • bøker → bok (book, singular)
Why is it på skrivebordet and not something like på et skrivebord or just på skrivebord?

Skrivebordet is the definite form: the desk.

Norwegian often uses a definite form where English uses “the + noun”:

  • skrivebord = (a) desk (indefinite)
  • skrivebordet = the desk (definite, neuter: -et)

In this sentence, we’re talking about a specific desk, so skrivebordet is natural.

På et skrivebord (on a desk) would mean some desk, not a specific one.
Bare på skrivebord is not idiomatic here; you normally mark definiteness on the noun.

Why is there no separate word for “the” in front of “students’”, like “the students’ books”?

Norwegian usually marks definiteness with an ending on the noun, not with a separate word:

  • English: the student
  • Norwegian: eleven (student + -en)

Then possessive -s is added to that definite form:

  • elevene (the students) → elevenes (the students’)

So Norwegian uses one word (with endings) where English uses two words (the students’).

Can the possessor come after the noun, like English “books of the students”?

Yes, that’s the “til” construction:

  • Elevenes bøker = the students’ books
  • Bøkene til elevene = the books of the students

So Norwegian allows:

  1. [Possessor] + s + [noun]

    • elevenes bøker

  2. [Noun in definite form] + til + [possessor]

    • bøkene til elevene

But you don’t say something like bøker elevenes; the possessor doesn’t just follow the noun without til or ’s.

What’s the difference between elevenes bøker and deres bøker?

Both can mean “their books”, but:

  • elevenes bøker = explicitly “the students’ books” (we know who they are)
  • deres bøker = “their books”, where deres is a pronoun and the owner must be understood from context

Example:

  • If you’ve already mentioned elevene (the students), you could say:
    • Elevenes bøker ligger på skrivebordet.
    • or simply Deres bøker ligger på skrivebordet.

Deres is more general; elevenes names the group directly.

Can I move på skrivebordet to the front, like På skrivebordet ligger elevenes bøker?

Yes, that’s grammatically correct and sounds natural:

  • Elevenes bøker ligger på skrivebordet.
  • På skrivebordet ligger elevenes bøker.

Putting på skrivebordet first emphasizes the location. This word order is common in Norwegian and still obeys the rule that the verb (ligger) comes in the second position (the “V2 rule”):

  1. På skrivebordet (adverbial, position 1)
  2. ligger (verb, position 2)
  3. elevenes bøker (subject, after the verb)
How do you pronounce elevenes bøker?

Approximate pronunciation (Eastern Norwegian):

  • elevenes ≈ eh-LEH-veh-nes
  • bøker ≈ BØH-ker (with ø like in French peu, or German schön)

Stress is on:

  • eLEvenes (second syllable)
  • BØker (first syllable)