Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Stien opp til leirplassen er bratt, og stua i hytta føles litt trang når alle er der. - The path up to the camp site is steep, and the living room in the cabin feels a bit cramped when everyone is there.

sti = path (indefinite singular)
- stien = the path (definite singular, masculine/common gender)
leirplass = campsite / camp area
- leirplassen = the campsite

In Norwegian, you normally mark “the” by putting an ending on the noun:

Masculine/common gender: -en
- en sti → stien
- en leirplass → leirplassen

We use the definite because both speaker and listener know which specific path and which specific campsite are meant (probably the ones they are using on this trip).

Why is it stua and hytta with -a endings instead of stuen / hytten?

Stua and hytta are also definite singular, but with a feminine ending.

Base forms:

stue = living room
hytte = cabin

Definite forms:

Feminine style (very common in spoken/warm, informal Bokmål):
- stua = the living room
- hytta = the cabin
More conservative/“bookish” Bokmål:
- stuen = the living room
- hytten = the cabin

In Bokmål, stue and hytte are treated as feminine (or optionally common gender) nouns. Using -a (stua, hytta) is very typical in everyday language, especially in contexts like cabins, homes, family life, etc. So stua i hytta sounds natural and homely.

Can you break down leirplassen and explain exactly what it means?

Leirplassen is a compound noun:

leir = camp (as in a camp, encampment)
plass = place, spot
leirplass = campsite, camping spot
leirplassen = the campsite / the camping spot

Structure:
leir (camp) + plass (place) + -en (definite singular) → leirplassen (the campsite).

What does opp til add here? Could you say just til leirplassen?

Opp til leirplassen literally means up to the campsite, emphasizing the upward direction.

til leirplassen = to the campsite (neutral direction)
opp til leirplassen = up to the campsite (you’re going upwards)

In the sentence:

Stien opp til leirplassen er bratt
= The path up to the campsite is steep.

If you removed opp, it would still be correct Norwegian, but you would lose the clear idea that the path is going uphill. Since they’re describing the path as steep, opp fits very naturally.

Why is there a comma before og in Norwegian here?

Norwegian comma rules are a bit stricter than English when it comes to joining full clauses.

The sentence has two independent clauses:

Stien opp til leirplassen er bratt
stua i hytta føles litt trang når alle er der

They are joined with og:

Stien opp til leirplassen er bratt, og stua i hytta føles litt trang når alle er der.

In Norwegian, when og connects two full main clauses, you normally put a comma before og. In English, you might or might not use a comma there; in Norwegian, it’s more rule‑based.

Why is it stua i hytta and not stua på hytta? What’s the difference between i and på here?

Both i and på can appear with hytte, but they’re used a bit differently.

i hytta = in the cabin, inside the physical building.
- stua i hytta = the living room in the cabin (location inside the structure).
på hytta = at the cabin (as a place where you stay, more general).
- Vi er på hytta i helga = We are at the cabin this weekend.

In this sentence, we are talking about a part inside the cabin (the living room), so i hytta is more precise and natural:

stua i hytta = the living room in the cabin.

You could say other things like:

Når vi er på hytta, er stua litt trang.
(When we are at the cabin, the living room is a bit cramped.)

Here på hytta fits because it describes where we are staying, not a physical location inside the building.

Why is it føles and not føler here?

Norwegian distinguishes between:

å føle (seg) = to feel (something) / to feel (oneself)
- Jeg føler meg trøtt. = I feel tired.
- Jeg føler glede. = I feel joy.
å føles = to feel, to seem (impersonal, describing how something feels to us)
- Stua føles trang. = The living room feels cramped.
- Det føles riktig. = It feels right.

In your sentence:

stua i hytta føles litt trang
= the living room in the cabin feels a bit cramped.

We are describing how the room seems/feels, not what the living room itself actively “feels”, so Norwegian uses føles (a reflexive/passive‑like form) rather than føler.

Where does litt go in a phrase like føles litt trang, and what nuance does it add?

Litt means a little, slightly, somewhat. The typical word order is:

verb + litt + adjective

So:

føles litt trang = feels a bit cramped / slightly cramped
er litt tung = is a bit heavy
ser litt rar ut = looks a bit strange

Litt softens the adjective. Without litt:

Stua i hytta føles trang. = The living room feels cramped.
(Sounds more absolute.)
Stua i hytta føles litt trang. = The living room feels a bit cramped.
(More moderate, less strong complaint.)

Why is bratt (in er bratt) not bratte or something else?

Bratt is a predicate adjective after the verb er (is):

Stien … er bratt. = The path is steep.

For predicate adjectives in the singular:

Common gender (en‑words, including masculine and feminine):
- Stien er bratt. (the path is steep)
- Stua er trang. (the living room is cramped)
Neuter (et‑words):
- Huset er bratt doesn’t make sense, but:
- Huset er stort. (the house is big)
Plural:
- Stiene er bratte. (the paths are steep)
- Rommene er trange. (the rooms are cramped)

So:

Singular common gender: bratt
Plural: bratte

That’s why it is er bratt here, not er bratte.

Why is it trang and not trangt in stua i hytta føles litt trang?

The form of the predicate adjective depends on the gender and number of the subject:

stua is common gender (feminine), singular:
- Stua er trang. = The living room is cramped.

Compare:

rommet (neuter):
- Rommet er trangt. = The room is cramped.
rommene (plural):
- Rommene er trange. = The rooms are cramped.

So:

Common gender singular: trang
Neuter singular: trangt
Plural: trange

Because the subject is stua (common gender), the correct form is trang.

In når alle er der, what does der refer to? Why not repeat i hytta?

Der here is a place reference that points back to a location already known from context:

når alle er der = when everyone is there

In this sentence, der clearly refers to the cabin / the living room in the cabin that we have just been talking about.

You could say:

når alle er i hytta = when everyone is in the cabin

That would also be correct, just more explicit and a bit more repetitive. Using der is very natural in Norwegian when the place is already understood:

Vi liker hytta, men når alle er der, blir det litt trangt.
We like the cabin, but when everyone is there, it gets a bit cramped.

Can we move når alle er der to the front, like in Når alle er der, føles stua i hytta litt trang? Is that correct, and does it change the meaning?

Yes, that is correct Norwegian, and the meaning is essentially the same.

Original:

Stua i hytta føles litt trang når alle er der.

Alternative:

Når alle er der, føles stua i hytta litt trang.

This is a normal variation in word order. Putting Når alle er der first slightly emphasizes the condition:

When everyone is there, the living room in the cabin feels a bit cramped.

It does not change the factual meaning, just the information flow and emphasis. Both versions are natural.