En studievenn sitter ved siden av meg og deler notatblokken sin.

A study buddy sits next to me and shares her notebook.

Breakdown of En studievenn sitter ved siden av meg og deler notatblokken sin.

• en: a
• og: and
• meg: me
• sitte: to sit
• dele: to share
• sin: her
• ved siden av: next to
• studievennen: the study buddy
• notatblokken: the notebook

Questions & Answers about En studievenn sitter ved siden av meg og deler notatblokken sin.

What exactly does en studievenn mean, and is it the same as “classmate” or “study buddy”?

En studievenn literally means a study-friend – a friend you study with. It focuses on the relationship (friendship) more than the formal context.

• studievenn = someone you are friendly with and study together with
• klassekamerat = classmate (someone who is in the same class as you)
• medstudent = fellow student (same program/field, more formal)

In many contexts, studievenn can be translated as study buddy or friend from my studies, not just any random person in your class.

Why is it en studievenn and not min studievenn?

En studievenn = a study friend (introducing the person for the first time, indefinite).
Min studievenn = my study friend (identifying a specific, known person).

Norwegian usually follows this pattern:

• Use en/ei/et when you introduce something/someone:
  
  • En studievenn sitter ved siden av meg. – A study friend is sitting next to me.
• Use min/mi/mitt (my) when both speaker and listener already know which person you mean:
  
  • Studievennen min sitter ved siden av meg. – My study friend is sitting next to me.

So the sentence is just presenting some (as yet unspecified) study friend, not a particular one you and the listener already know.

Why is it sitter and not something like er sittende or a “-ing” form like English “is sitting”?

Norwegian normally uses the simple present for actions that are happening right now:

• Han sitter ved bordet. – He is sitting at the table.
• Hun leser. – She is reading.

There is no separate “present continuous” form like is sitting / is reading. Sitter covers both:

• He sits at the table (regular habit).
• He is sitting at the table (right now).

Context tells you which is meant. Er sittende exists but is rarely used and sounds formal or stylistic, not like normal speech here.

What does ved siden av meg mean exactly, and why is it not just ved siden meg?

Ved siden av meg means next to me / by my side.

• ved = by/at
• siden av (as a fixed expression) = beside, at the side of
• meg = me (object form)

You need av as part of the idiomatic expression ved siden av (noe/noen):

• ved siden av meg – next to me
• ved siden av henne – next to her
• ved siden av døren – next to the door

Ved siden meg is ungrammatical. The little word av belongs there in this expression.

Why is it meg and not jeg in ved siden av meg?

Norwegian, like English, uses different pronoun forms for subject and object:

• jeg = I (subject)
• meg = me (object)

After a preposition like ved, til, på, etc., you must use the object form:

• med meg – with me
• til meg – to me
• for meg – for me
• ved siden av meg – next to me

So ved siden av jeg would be incorrect.

Why is the sentence En studievenn sitter ... og deler notatblokken sin and not ... og han deler notatblokken sin?

In Norwegian, when you join two verbs that share the same subject, you normally don’t repeat the subject:

• En studievenn sitter ved siden av meg og deler notatblokken sin.
  – One subject (en studievenn) → two actions (sitter and deler).

If you said:

• En studievenn sitter ved siden av meg, og han deler notatblokken sin.

…it would still be grammatically correct, but it sounds heavier and suggests a slightly stronger separation between the actions, like two separate pieces of information. The shorter version is more natural here.

Why is it notatblokken and not just notatblokk?

Notatblokk = a notebook / a notepad (indefinite form, general).
Notatblokken = the notebook / the notepad (definite form).

Norwegian marks definiteness with a suffix:

• en notatblokk – a notebook
• notatblokken – the notebook

In the sentence, we’re talking about a specific notebook that belongs to this person, so the definite form notatblokken is used, then followed by sin: notatblokken sin = his/her own notebook.

What does sin mean in notatblokken sin, and why not notatblokken hans or notatblokken hennes?

Sin / si / sitt / sine are reflexive possessive pronouns. They refer back to the subject of the clause.

In this sentence, the subject is en studievenn. So:

• notatblokken sin = his/her own notebook (the notebook of that studievenn).

If you said:

• notatblokken hans – his notebook (of some male person, not necessarily the subject)
• notatblokken hennes – her notebook (of some female person, not necessarily the subject)

Using sin makes it clear that the notebook belongs to the same person who is sitting there and sharing it (the studievenn).

Example contrast:

• En studievenn sitter ved siden av meg og deler notatblokken sin.
  – He/she shares his/her own notebook.
• En studievenn sitter ved siden av meg og deler notatblokken hans.
  – He/she shares his notebook (some other male person’s notebook).

How does sin agree with the noun? Why is it sin and not si or sitt here?

The form of the reflexive possessive depends on the gender and number of the noun it modifies, not on the subject’s gender:

• sin – with masculine singular nouns
• si – with feminine singular nouns
• sitt – with neuter singular nouns
• sine – with plural nouns

Notatblokk is a masculine noun:

• en notatblokk – notatblokken – notatblokken sin

Some examples:

• Han leser i boka si. (bok = feminine)
• Hun bruker sitt rom. (rom = neuter)
• De deler notatene sine. (notater = plural)

What is the difference between ved siden av and ved by itself?

• ved alone usually means by / at / next to but is more general:

  • ved bordet – by/at the table
  • ved elven – by the river

• ved siden av is a fixed expression that very specifically means next to / beside:

  • ved siden av meg – next to me
  • ved siden av henne – next to her
  • ved siden av stolen – next to the chair

You could say:

• Han sitter ved meg. – He sits by me (possible, but less idiomatic here)
• Han sitter ved siden av meg. – He sits next to me (normal, precise).

In the original sentence, ved siden av meg is the most natural choice.

Could I change the word order to En studievenn deler notatblokken sin og sitter ved siden av meg?

Yes, that is grammatically correct. Both versions are possible:

1. En studievenn sitter ved siden av meg og deler notatblokken sin.
   – Slight focus on the location first, then the sharing.

2. En studievenn deler notatblokken sin og sitter ved siden av meg.
   – Slight focus on the sharing first, then mention that the person is next to you.

The meaning is essentially the same; the difference is mostly nuance and emphasis.

Is deler here more like “sharing” or “dividing”?

The verb å dele can mean both:

1. to share (most common in this kind of context)

   • Han deler notatblokken sin med meg. – He shares his notebook with me.

2. to divide / split

   • Vi deler kaka i åtte biter. – We divide the cake into eight pieces.

In the sentence ... og deler notatblokken sin, the natural interpretation is “shares his/her notebook”, not physically cutting it into pieces.

Is there any difference in tone between studievenn and other words for “friend”, like venn or kompis?

Yes, there is a nuance:

• venn – friend (neutral, general)
• kompis – buddy / pal (informal, colloquial)
• studievenn – friend connected to your studies (neutral, a bit more specific)

So:

• En venn sitter ved siden av meg ... – A friend sits next to me... (no context about how you know them)
• En studievenn sitter ved siden av meg ... – A friend from my studies / a study buddy sits next to me...
• En kompis sitter ved siden av meg ... – A buddy / mate sits next to me... (more casual)