Breakdown of Notatblokken ligger ved siden av dagboken på pulten.
Questions & Answers about Notatblokken ligger ved siden av dagboken på pulten.
Norwegian often uses specific position verbs instead of the general verb å være (er).
- å ligge = to lie / to be located in a lying or resting position
- å sitte = to sit / to be seated
- å stå = to stand / to be standing
In Notatblokken ligger ved siden av dagboken på pulten, the notepad is lying/resting on the desk, so ligger is more natural than er.
You can say:
- Notatblokken er ved siden av dagboken på pulten.
This is grammatically correct but less specific. Using ligger adds a bit of information about how the object is positioned (lying flat).
All three nouns are masculine in standard Bokmål and are used here in the definite singular:
en notatblokk = a notepad
- notatblokken = the notepad
en dagbok = a diary
- dagboken = the diary
en pult = a (school) desk
- pulten = the desk
Pattern for masculine nouns:
- Indefinite: en + noun (en pult)
- Definite: noun + -en (pulten)
In Norwegian, you normally use the definite form when you and your listener both know exactly which object you are talking about, just like the in English.
In this context, it’s clear that you mean:
- the notepad (a specific one everyone knows about)
- the diary
- the desk
So the natural translation is:
- Notatblokken ligger ved siden av dagboken på pulten.
→ The notepad is lying next to the diary on the desk.
If you used indefinite forms:
- En notatblokk ligger ved siden av en dagbok på en pult.
it would sound like “A notepad is lying next to a diary on a desk” – like introducing these objects for the first time, in some random, unknown place.
ved siden av is a fixed expression meaning next to or beside.
Literally:
- ved = by / at
- siden = the side
- av = of
So you can think of it as “by the side of”.
You must include av in this expression:
- ✅ ved siden av dagboken = next to the diary
- ❌ ved siden dagboken (wrong)
- ❌ ved siden alone for “next to something” (incomplete; you need av + noun)
Yes, both of these are correct and natural:
- Notatblokken ligger ved siden av dagboken på pulten.
- Notatblokken ligger på pulten ved siden av dagboken.
They mean the same thing in practice: the notepad is on the desk, next to the diary.
Small nuance:
- Version 1 slightly emphasizes the relation to the diary first, then clarifies that this is on the desk.
- Version 2 slightly emphasizes the fact that it’s on the desk first, then clarifies that it’s next to the diary there.
In everyday speech, both are fine and understood the same.
Yes, you can front the location phrase, but then you must follow the verb-second (V2) rule of Norwegian main clauses:
- På pulten ved siden av dagboken ligger notatblokken.
Structure:
- På pulten ved siden av dagboken = first element (a prepositional phrase)
- ligger = the finite verb (must be in second position)
- notatblokken = subject (comes after the verb)
You cannot say:
- ❌ På pulten ved siden av dagboken notatblokken ligger. (wrong word order)
Norwegian main clauses always have the conjugated verb in second position, no matter what you put in first position.
These can all relate to proximity, but they’re used differently:
ved siden av = next to / beside
- Focus: side-by-side position
- Notatblokken ligger ved siden av dagboken.
→ The notepad is right beside the diary.
ved = by / at / near
- More general “by/next to/at”
- Stolen står ved pulten.
→ The chair is by the desk.
neste = next (in a sequence), often used with time or order
- neste uke = next week
- neste side = the next page
- For physical position, you normally still use ved siden av, not neste.
So here, ved siden av is the natural choice because it expresses “right beside” on the desk.
Prepositions in Norwegian can be tricky because they don’t always match English exactly.
på pulten = on the desk
- Used when something is on the surface of the desk.
i pulten = in the desk
- Used if something is inside the desk (e.g. in a drawer or compartment).
ved pulten = by/at the desk
- Used for something or someone next to the desk, usually not touching the surface.
- Example: Hun sitter ved pulten. = She is sitting by the desk.
In this sentence, the notepad is physically resting on top of the desk, so på pulten is the correct choice.
For plural, you need plural forms and usually still the definite form if you mean specific items.
Base plurals:
- en notatblokk → flere notatblokker (indef.) → notatblokkene (def.)
- en dagbok → flere dagbøker (indef.) → dagbøkene (def.)
- en pult → flere pulter (indef.) → pultene (def.)
Examples:
Several specific notepads next to one specific diary:
- Notatblokkene ligger ved siden av dagboken på pulten.
→ The notepads are lying next to the diary on the desk.
- Notatblokkene ligger ved siden av dagboken på pulten.
One notepad next to several specific diaries:
- Notatblokken ligger ved siden av dagbøkene på pulten.
→ The notepad is lying next to the diaries on the desk.
- Notatblokken ligger ved siden av dagbøkene på pulten.
Several specific notepads next to several specific diaries:
- Notatblokkene ligger ved siden av dagbøkene på pulten.
The verb also changes to plural:
- ligger stays the same form in plural (good news: no extra change needed).
Roughly (using English-like hints):
notatblokken
- -en at the end sounds like a weak -en / -ən
- [no-TAHT-blok-ken]
dagboken
- -en again like -en / -ən
- å in dag like “a” in father
- [DAHG-boo-ken]
pulten
- u like “oo” in book (not like pool)
- [POOL-ten] but with a shorter, tighter vowel
- final -en again reduced
In normal speech, the -en ending is often unstressed and reduced, almost like a small “uhn” sound attached to the noun.
ligger is the present tense of the verb å ligge (to lie, to be lying / located).
Main forms:
- å ligge = infinitive (to lie)
- ligger = present (lies / is lying)
- lå = past (lay / was lying)
- har ligget = present perfect (has lain / has been lying)
Example with the same structure in past:
- Notatblokken lå ved siden av dagboken på pulten.
→ The notepad was lying next to the diary on the desk.