Vi tenner stearinlys i stuen.

We light candles in the living room.

Breakdown of Vi tenner stearinlys i stuen.

• vi: we
• i: in
• stuen: the living room
• tenne: to light
• stearinlyset: the candle

Questions & Answers about Vi tenner stearinlys i stuen.

What does each word in Vi tenner stearinlys i stuen mean literally?

• Vi = we
• tenner = light / are lighting (present tense of å tenne, to light/ignite)
• stearinlys = candles (literally: stearin + light; stearin is a type of wax)
• i = in
• stuen = the living room (definite form of en stue, a living room)

So the whole sentence corresponds to We light (are lighting) candles in the living room.

Why is it tenner and not tenne?

Tenne is the infinitive form (å tenne = to light).
In Norwegian, the present tense for regular verbs is formed by adding -r to the stem:

• infinitive: å tenne (to light)
• present: tenner (light / are lighting)

You use tenner because the action is happening in the present. Norwegian present tense covers both English simple present and present continuous.

Does tenner also mean teeth? How do I know which meaning it has?

Yes, tenner can mean two different things:

1. tenner (verb) = light / are lighting (present tense of å tenne)
2. tenner (noun, plural of tann) = teeth

You understand the meaning from context and sentence structure:

• As a verb, tenner comes after the subject: Vi tenner stearinlys (We light candles).
• As a noun, it would normally have a determiner: tennene mine (my teeth), hvite tenner (white teeth).

In Vi tenner stearinlys i stuen, it must be a verb, because it comes right after the subject Vi and is followed by an object (stearinlys).

Is stearinlys singular or plural here?

Formally, stearinlys can be both singular and plural in the indefinite form:

• singular: et stearinlys (a candle)
• plural: stearinlys (candles)

In this sentence, stearinlys is most naturally understood as plural (candles) because:

• There is no et in front of it.
• Contextually, people typically light more than one candle.

But grammatically, the form is identical, so context decides whether you picture one or several candles.

Why is there no word for the before stuen?

Norwegian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

• en stue = a living room (indefinite)
• stuen = the living room (definite)

So stuen already includes the meaning of the.
i stuen therefore means in the living room.

What are the forms of the word stue?

In Bokmål:

• en stue = a living room (indefinite singular)
• stuen = the living room (definite singular)
• stuer = living rooms (indefinite plural)
• stuene = the living rooms (definite plural)

In the sentence, stuen is the definite singular: the living room.

Could you explain the forms of stearinlys?

Yes, stearinlys is a neuter noun:

• et stearinlys = a candle (indefinite singular)
• stearinlyset = the candle (definite singular)
• stearinlys = candles (indefinite plural)
• stearinlysene = the candles (definite plural)

So, without any article or ending, stearinlys can be either:

• singular indefinite (a candle) in contexts like Jeg ser stearinlys (I see a candle / candles – ambiguous)
• or plural indefinite (candles), as in Vi tenner stearinlys (we light candles).

Why do we say i stuen and not something like på stuen?

The preposition i is used for being inside an enclosed space, like rooms, houses, and buildings:

• i stuen = in the living room
• i huset = in the house
• i bilen = in the car

På is more like on (on top of) or “at” for some locations, but for rooms in a house, i is the normal preposition. So på stuen would be wrong in standard Norwegian in this sense.

Could the word order be I stuen tenner vi stearinlys?

Yes, that is correct Norwegian and sounds natural. It just emphasizes the location a bit more:

• Vi tenner stearinlys i stuen.
  Neutral statement: We light candles in the living room.

• I stuen tenner vi stearinlys.
  Slight emphasis on in the living room (as opposed to some other place).

What you cannot do is Vi tenner i stuen stearinlys – that sounds very unnatural in Norwegian. The normal order is:

Subject – Verb – (Object) – Place
Vi – tenner – stearinlys – i stuen

Does Norwegian have a separate form for are lighting, like the English continuous tense?

No, Norwegian does not have a special continuous tense like English am/is/are + -ing.

The same present tense form is used for both:

• Vi tenner stearinlys i stuen.
  = We light candles in the living room.
  = We are lighting candles in the living room.

Context tells you if it is a general habit or something happening right now.

What is the difference between lys and stearinlys?

• lys = light in general, or a light source (also a candle or lamp, depending on context)
• stearinlys = specifically a candle made of wax (stearin)

Examples:

• Slå på lyset. = Turn on the light.
• Vi tente et lys. = We lit a light (often a candle; slightly vague).
• Vi tenner stearinlys. = We light candles (clearly refers to wax candles).

So stearinlys is more specific than lys in this context.

I’ve seen i stua instead of i stuen. What is the difference?

Both mean in the living room, but:

• stuen is the more standard/written Bokmål definite form.
• stua is also an accepted Bokmål form and is very common in spoken language and informal writing.

So you can say either:

• Vi tenner stearinlys i stuen.
• Vi tenner stearinlys i stua.

Same meaning; stua just sounds a bit more colloquial for many speakers.

How do you pronounce tenner, stearinlys, and stuen?

Approximate pronunciations (standard Eastern Norwegian):

• tenner ≈ TEN-ner

  • e like in English ten
  • double n just means the n sound is short and clear

• stearinlys ≈ steh-ah-REEN-lees (often more like steh-areen-lees in fast speech)

  • Stress mainly on -rin-: ste-a-RIN-lys

• stuen ≈ STOO-en

  • u is like a close oo sound, with rounded lips
  • two syllables: stu-en

These are approximations, but they should get you close enough to be understood.