Læreren skriver stikkordet på tavlen.

The teacher writes the keyword on the board.

Breakdown of Læreren skriver stikkordet på tavlen.

• skrive: to write
• på: on
• læreren: the teacher
• tavlen: the board
• stikkordet: the keyword

Questions & Answers about Læreren skriver stikkordet på tavlen.

Why is it læreren and not just lærer for “the teacher”?

Norwegian usually marks “the” by adding an ending to the noun instead of a separate word.

• lærer = teacher (indefinite, general)
  
  • en lærer = a teacher
• læreren = the teacher (definite, specific)

So in Læreren skriver stikkordet på tavlen, we are talking about a specific, known teacher, so the definite form læreren is used.

If you said:

• En lærer skriver stikkordet på tavlen. = A teacher writes the keyword on the board.

…that would introduce some (any) teacher, not a specific one already known from context.

Why does stikkordet end in -et, but tavlen ends in -en?

This is about grammatical gender. In Bokmål Norwegian there are two main genders:

• Common gender (often called “masculine/feminine” merged): takes en / -en
• Neuter: takes et / -et

For our nouns:

• tavle (board) is common gender

  • en tavle = a board
  • tavlen (or tavla) = the board

• stikkord (keyword, cue word) is neuter

  • et stikkord = a keyword
  • stikkordet = the keyword

So:

• stikkord-et → the keyword (neuter)
• tavl-en → the board (common gender)

What exactly does stikkord mean? Is it just “word”?

Stikkord does not just mean “word”. It means something like:

• keyword, cue word, bullet point, or short note

It’s the kind of short word or phrase you write down to help you remember something, outline a talk, or summarize main points.

Some examples:

• Jeg skrev bare noen stikkord til presentasjonen.
  I only wrote some keywords/notes for the presentation.

• Læreren ber elevene lage stikkord til teksten.
  The teacher asks the students to make keywords/notes for the text.

So in the sentence, the teacher is writing a cue word/keyword on the board, not a full sentence.

Why is it på tavlen and not something like i tavlen for “on the board”?

In Norwegian, på is the normal preposition for “on” with surfaces you write on or place things on:

• på tavlen = on the board
• på bordet = on the table
• på veggen = on the wall
• på skjermen = on the screen

i usually means “in/inside”:

• i boka = in the book
• i lomma = in the pocket

So på tavlen is the natural and almost fixed way to say “on the board”. I tavlen would sound like something is inside the material of the board, which is not what we mean.

Can I say tavla instead of tavlen? Is there any difference?

Yes, in Bokmål you can say either tavlen or tavla. They both mean “the board”.

• tavlen – more neutral/formal, traditional Bokmål
• tavla – allowed Bokmål form that looks like the feminine pattern and often feels a bit more colloquial / everyday speech

So you can have either:

• Læreren skriver stikkordet på tavlen.
• Læreren skriver stikkordet på tavla.

Both are correct Bokmål and mean the same thing.

Can I change the word order, like Læreren skriver på tavlen stikkordet?

The neutral, natural order here is:

• Subject – Verb – Object – Place
  
  • Læreren (subject)
  • skriver (verb)
  • stikkordet (object)
  • på tavlen (place)

So Læreren skriver stikkordet på tavlen sounds completely normal.

You can move parts around, but some options become marked or unnatural:

• Læreren skriver på tavlen stikkordet.
  – Grammatically possible, but sounds odd and very marked in normal speech.

A more natural variation is putting the object first for emphasis:

• Stikkordet skriver læreren på tavlen.
  – Emphasis on stikkordet (It is the keyword that the teacher writes on the board).

As a learner, stick to Subject – Verb – Object – Place unless you specifically want emphasis.

How do I make the plural of stikkord and tavle?

The two nouns behave differently.

stikkord (neuter):

• Singular:
  
  • et stikkord = a keyword
  • stikkordet = the keyword
• Plural:
  
  • stikkord = keywords (no ending)
  • stikkordene = the keywords

tavle (common gender):

• Singular:
  
  • en tavle = a board
  • tavlen / tavla = the board
• Plural:
  
  • tavler = boards
  • tavlene = the boards

So:

• Læreren skriver stikkordene på tavlene.
  = The teacher writes the keywords on the boards.

How do you pronounce læreren, stikkordet, and tavlen?

Approximate East-Norwegian pronunciations (using an English-like description):

• læreren

  • Roughly: LAIR-uh-ren
  • æ like the “a” in cat, but longer
  • Stress on the first syllable: LÆR-e-ren

• stikkordet

  • Roughly: STIK-or-eh
  • stikk: like English stick
  • ord: like English oar (the d is normally silent in many dialects)
  • Stress on the first syllable: STIK-ord-et

• tavlen

  • Roughly: TAHVL-en
  • a like in British father
  • vl can sound almost like one blended sound
  • Stress on the first syllable: TAV-len

Exact pronunciation varies by dialect, but these approximations will be understood.

In English I say “is writing”. Why is Norwegian just skriver and not something like er å skrive?

Norwegian normally uses a single present tense form for both:

• Læreren skriver stikkordet på tavlen.
  = The teacher writes the keyword on the board.
  = The teacher is writing the keyword on the board.

You don’t need an extra “progressive” form like English is writing. Skriver covers both simple and continuous meanings. Context tells you whether it’s a general habit or something happening right now.

There is a construction holder på å skrive (literally “is holding on to write”), but that’s only used when you really want to highlight that the action is ongoing:

• Læreren holder på å skrive stikkordet på tavlen nå.
  = The teacher is (in the middle of) writing the keyword on the board now.

Could I say En lærer skriver stikkordet på tavlen? What’s the difference from Læreren skriver…?

Yes, you can say both, but they mean different things:

• Læreren skriver stikkordet på tavlen.
  – Refers to a specific teacher that speaker and listener know about
  – “The teacher writes / is writing the keyword on the board.”

• En lærer skriver stikkordet på tavlen.
  – Introduces a teacher, not previously specified
  – “A teacher writes / is writing the keyword on the board.”

So the choice between en lærer and læreren works much like a teacher vs the teacher in English, but Norwegian marks the definite article as a suffix on the noun.

Is this Bokmål or Nynorsk? How would it look in Nynorsk?

Læreren skriver stikkordet på tavlen. is standard Bokmål.

A common Nynorsk version would be:

• Læraren skriv stikkordet på tavla.

Differences:

• Læreren (Bokmål) → Læraren (Nynorsk form; same spelling here, but different standard)
• skriver → skriv (present tense)
• tavlen/tavla (Bokmål) → typically tavla in Nynorsk

The meaning is the same; it’s just the other written standard of Norwegian.