Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Bekken ved leirplassen er smal, men den gir oss klart vann. - The stream by the camp site is narrow, but it gives us clear water.

Norwegian usually uses the definite form when you are talking about a specific, known thing, often something already known from context (like “the stream by the campsite”).

en bekk = a (non‑specific) stream
bekken = the (particular) stream

Here, the stream is clearly a specific one at the campsite, so bekken is natural.

What does ved mean here, and could I use nær instead?

In this sentence, ved means by / next to / at the side of.

Bekken ved leirplassen ≈ the stream by the campsite

Nær means near / close to. You could say:

Bekken nær leirplassen

This is understandable and correct, but ved leirplassen sounds more like it is right by the campsite, almost touching it, while nær leirplassen can be a bit more vague about the distance.

How is leirplassen formed, and why is the definite article at the end?

Leirplassen is a compound noun plus a definite ending:

leir = camp
plass = place, spot
leirplass = campsite (literally “camp place”)
leirplassen = the campsite

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually a suffix:

en leirplass = a campsite
leirplassen = the campsite

You do not add a separate word like den in front in basic form (den leirplassen is only used when you add an adjective: den store leirplassen = the big campsite).

Why is it er smal and not er smalt?

The adjective must agree with the gender and number of the noun.

Bekk is masculine. The adjective smal (narrow) has these forms:

masculine/feminine singular: smal
neuter singular: smalt
plural: smale

So:

en smal bekk – a narrow stream
bekken er smal – the stream is narrow

You would only use smalt with a neuter noun:

et smalt rør – a narrow pipe (neuter)

Why is there a comma before men?

Men means but and introduces a new main clause:

Bekken ved leirplassen er smal = first main clause
den gir oss klart vann = second main clause

Norwegian normally uses a comma between two main clauses joined by men, just like English often does with “but”:

The stream is narrow, but it gives us clear water.

So the comma marks the boundary between two clauses.

What does den refer to, and why is it den and not det?

Den is a pronoun referring back to bekken (“the stream”).

In Norwegian, the pronoun must match the grammatical gender:

Masculine noun → den
Feminine noun → den (in Bokmål, feminine often behaves like masculine)
Neuter noun → det

Since bekk is masculine (en bekk, bekken), the pronoun is den:

Bekken … den gir oss …

If the noun were neuter, for example et fjell (a mountain), you would use det:

Fjellet er høyt, men det er lett å klatre.

Do we really need den here? Could we just say …, men gir oss klart vann?

You can drop the repeated subject in Norwegian when two main clauses share the same subject, so:

Bekken ved leirplassen er smal, men gir oss klart vann.

This is grammatically fine and sounds natural.

Including den (…, men den gir oss …) is also correct and maybe a little clearer or more explicit, but it is not strictly necessary. Both versions are acceptable.

Why is it gir and not something like giver, like in English “gives”?

The verb is å gi (to give). In the present tense, Norwegian does not add -s for 3rd person singular the way English does. The present tense form is the same for all persons:

jeg gir – I give
du gir – you give
han/hun/den gir – he/she/it gives
vi gir – we give
dere gir – you (plural) give
de gir – they give

So den gir oss corresponds to English “it gives us”.

What is the difference between vi and oss?

Both mean we/us, but vi is the subject form and oss is the object form.

Subject: Vi drikker vann. – We drink water.
Object: Vannet gir oss styrke. – The water gives us strength.

In the sentence, den (the stream) is the subject that does the action of giving, and oss is the object that receives the water:

den gir oss klart vann – it gives us clear water.

Why is the word order den gir oss klart vann and not den gir klart vann oss?

Norwegian normally places unstressed object pronouns like meg, deg, ham, henne, oss, dem before other objects in the sentence:

den gir oss klart vann = it gives us clear water

Den gir klart vann oss is not natural. The typical pattern is:

Subject (den)
Verb (gir)
Pronoun object (oss)
Other object (klart vann)

You could also say: den gir klart vann til oss, but that sounds more marked or explanatory, not the default.

Why is it klart vann and not klar vann or klart vannet?

Two things are happening: gender agreement and definiteness.

Gender agreement
- vann is a neuter noun.
- The adjective klar (clear) in neuter singular indefinite takes -t: klart.
  So: klart vann = clear water.
Forms of klar:
- masculine/feminine: klar (en klar dag)
- neuter: klart (et klart mål)
- plural: klare (klare dager)
Definiteness
- vann = (some) water, water in general
- vannet = the water (specific water)

In the sentence, the idea is general “clear water” that the stream provides, so klart vann (indefinite) is used, not klart vannet (“the clear water”).