Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Barna liker å være inne når det er kaldt. - The children like to be inside when it is cold.

You can say de barna when you mean those children specifically, but if you just mean the children in general, barna on its own is normal and sufficient: Barna liker ….

What does liker do here, and why is it followed by å være?

Liker is the present tense of å like (to like).
In Norwegian, when you like an activity, you normally say:

å like + å + infinitive

So:

Barna liker å være inne = The children like to be inside / like being inside.

You cannot say liker er. After liker, the next verb must be in the infinitive with å: å være, å spille, å lese, etc.

What is the function of å in å være?

Å is the infinitive marker, like “to” in English to be, to eat, to run.

å være = to be
å spise = to eat
å lese = to read

Whenever you use a verb in the infinitive after another verb such as liker, vil, kan, skal, må, pleier, you usually need å (with some exceptions after modal verbs). Here å være is just to be.

Why is it å være and not just er?

Er is present tense (am/is/are), while være is the infinitive (to be).

After liker, you need the infinitive:

Barna er inne. – The children are inside. (main verb, present tense)
Barna liker å være inne. – The children like to be inside. (main verb liker, followed by infinitive å være)

So the main verb of the sentence is liker; å være is the activity they like.

What is the difference between inne and inn, and why is it inne here?

Norwegian distinguishes between state (where?) and movement (to where?):

inne – inside (state, location: where someone/something is)
inn – in(wards), inside (movement: going from outside to inside)

Examples:

Barna er inne. – The children are inside. (where they are)
Barna går inn. – The children go in / go inside. (movement)

In Barna liker å være inne, we are talking about their state (being inside), so inne is correct.

Could I say inne i huset instead of just inne?

Yes. You could say:

Barna liker å være inne i huset. – The children like to be inside the house.

Inne alone is more general: just inside (not outside).
Inne i huset is more specific: inside the house.

The original sentence is more general; it doesn’t specify where they are inside.

Why is it når det er kaldt and not da det er kaldt?

In this sentence når is a time conjunction meaning when (whenever), used for repeated or general situations:

Barna liker å være inne når det er kaldt.
The children like to be inside when it’s cold (whenever it’s cold).

Da is usually used for:

A single event in the past:
- Da det var kaldt i går, var barna inne.
  When it was cold yesterday, the children were inside.
As then (consequence) in some contexts.

Because this sentence describes a general habit, når is the natural choice.

What does det refer to in når det er kaldt?

Here det is a dummy subject, similar to “it” in English in sentences like It is cold or It is raining.

There is no specific thing that is cold; we’re talking about the general weather or situation. So Norwegian, like English, uses this empty subject:

Det er kaldt. – It is cold.
Når det er kaldt. – When it is cold.

Why is it kaldt with a -t at the end and not just kald?

Kald is the basic adjective form: cold.
In Det er kaldt, kaldt is the neuter singular form, because:

The dummy subject det is grammatically neuter.
Adjectives take -t in the neuter singular: kaldt, fint, stort.

Compare:

Luften er kald. – The air is cold. (luften is feminine/masculine)
Været er kaldt. – The weather is cold. (været is neuter)
Det er kaldt. – It is cold. (dummy det, neuter)

Could I move the words around, like Barna liker når det er kaldt å være inne?

No, that word order is not natural; it sounds wrong in Norwegian.

The structure is:

Barna – subject
liker – main verb
å være inne – infinitive phrase (what they like)
når det er kaldt – time clause (when)

So:

✅ Barna liker å være inne når det er kaldt.
❌ Barna liker når det er kaldt å være inne.

You can move the time clause to the front if you want to emphasize it:

✅ Når det er kaldt, liker barna å være inne.
(Notice that when the clause comes first, the verb liker still comes before the subject barna: verb-second rule.)

If I want to say don’t like, where does ikke go?

Place ikke after liker:

Barna liker ikke å være inne når det er kaldt.
The children don’t like being inside when it’s cold.

The basic pattern is:

Subject + liker + ikke + å + infinitive

How do you pronounce the words in this sentence?

Very roughly, in a neutral Oslo accent:

Barna – BAHR-na
- r is tapped, a like in father.
liker – LEE-ker or LEE-ke (the r is weak and often very soft or almost silent in some accents).
å – like the vowel in British law, a long aw sound.
være – VÆH-re (æ like in cat, r tapped).
inne – IN-neh (short i as in bit).
når – a bit like nohr, the å like in law, r often soft.
det – deh (final t usually silent in speech).
er – ær (short, like air but very quick).
kaldt – kalt (the d is silent; final t is pronounced).

This is approximate; actual pronunciation varies somewhat by region.

Does liker here mean a general preference or something happening right now?

In Norwegian, the simple present liker usually expresses:

general likes/dislikes
habits
stable preferences

So Barna liker å være inne når det er kaldt means:

The children (in general) like being inside when it’s cold.

It does not normally mean are liking right now (just like English usually says like, not are liking).