Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Vi sender en kopi av passet og beholder originalen hjemme i en skuff. - We send a copy of the passport and keep the original at home in a drawer.

Here we’re talking about a specific passport (probably my/our passport), so Norwegian uses the definite form passet, even though English often just says passport with no article (a copy of the passport vs a copy of passport).

Using bare pass here would sound incomplete or wrong; you need either:

et pass (a passport, indefinite)
or
passet (the passport, definite).

In this sentence, passet fits best because we mean “that particular passport.”

Why is kopi indefinite (en kopi) while passet and originalen are definite?

Each noun is marked for definiteness according to what it refers to:

en kopi = a copy (any one copy we make) → indefinite
passet = the passport (a specific document, already known) → definite
originalen = the original (the one real passport) → definite

So we:

create/send a copy (new, not yet identified),
of the passport (a specific known document),
and keep the original (also a specific known item).

This pattern (indefinite copy + definite source object) is normal in Norwegian, just as in English.

Could I drop the article and say Vi sender kopi av passet?

You can sometimes drop the article with some nouns, especially in more technical or bureaucratic language, but here Vi sender kopi av passet sounds a bit telegraphic or “form letter”-like.

Natural options:

Vi sender en kopi av passet – normal, neutral Norwegian.
Vi sender kopi av passet – possible in brief written notes, forms, or instructions, but less idiomatic in everyday speech.

For most learner contexts, keep the article: en kopi.

Why is it av passet and not fra passet or til passet?

The choice is about meaning:

av = of, expressing origin or “made from / belonging to”:
- en kopi av passet = a copy of the passport.
fra = from, expressing movement or separation:
- Jeg reiser fra Oslo = I travel from Oslo.
til = to, expressing direction/recipient:
- Vi sender kopien til ambassaden = We send the copy to the embassy.

Since the copy is made from or of the passport, av is the correct preposition.

What exactly is the difference between sender and sende?

They’re different forms of the same verb:

sende – infinitive (to send).
- å sende en kopi = to send a copy.
sender – present tense (send / are sending / will send).
- Vi sender en kopi = We send / are sending a copy.

In this sentence, sender is used because it’s a full finite clause with a subject (Vi) describing an action.

Why is present tense (Vi sender, vi beholder) used even though this can be about a future plan?

Norwegian present tense can cover:

Current/habitual actions:
- Vi sender en kopi av passet og beholder originalen hjemme
  = This is what we (usually) do.
Planned future actions (very common):
- I morgen sender vi en kopi av passet
  = Tomorrow we’ll send a copy of the passport.

So in many contexts, Vi sender … can mean We are going to send … if it’s clear from context that you’re talking about the future. You don’t need an extra future marker like will or going to.

Why don’t we repeat vi before beholder? Could we say Vi sender … og vi beholder …?

Both are grammatically correct:

Vi sender en kopi av passet og beholder originalen hjemme …
Vi sender en kopi av passet, og vi beholder originalen hjemme …

Norwegian (like English) can omit the repeated subject in the second clause when it’s the same as in the first clause, especially in short, closely connected clauses joined by og (and).

Adding the second vi can:

sound a bit more formal or emphatic, or
help avoid ambiguity in longer sentences.

Here, omitting vi is very natural and typical.

What does beholder mean exactly, and how is it different from holder or har?

The verbs are related but not interchangeable:

beholde (inf.) / beholder (pres.)
- main meaning: to keep, to retain, not give away or throw out.
- Vi beholder originalen = We keep (don’t send/give away) the original.
holde (inf.) / holder (pres.)
- many meanings: hold, keep, stay, last, stop, etc.
- Jeg holder passet i hånden = I hold the passport in my hand.
- Været holder seg fint = The weather stays nice.
ha (inf.) / har (pres.)
- basic have / possess.
- Vi har originalen hjemme = We have the original at home.

In this sentence, beholder emphasizes that you keep the original (you do not send it away). Har would only state possession, without that contrast.

Why is it originalen and not den originale? Don’t both mean “the original”?

They’re slightly different structures:

originalen = noun in definite form: the original (object).
den originale = adjective-based phrase: the original one (opposed to a copy, a fake, or a later version).

In practice, in this exact sentence, many speakers would accept either, but:

beholder originalen is more compact and standard when you mean “the original document.”
beholder den originale can sound a bit more contrastive, as if stressing “the real one.”

For documents and similar nouns, originalen is the most idiomatic choice.

Why is it hjemme and not hjem or i hjemmet?

Norwegian distinguishes between “to home” and “at home”:

hjem – direction to home:
- Jeg går hjem = I’m going home.
hjemme – location at home:
- Jeg er hjemme = I’m at home.

In the sentence, we’re talking about where we keep the passport (location), so hjemme is correct:

… og beholder originalen hjemme i en skuff = … and keep the original at home in a drawer.

i hjemmet literally means “in the home” and is more formal or specific, e.g.:

Vi har røykvarsler i hjemmet = We have a smoke detector in the home.

Here, simple hjemme is the natural choice.

Why is it i en skuff and not på en skuff or some other preposition?

Prepositions with containers often differ between English and Norwegian.

skuff = drawer (a container you can put things in).
For containers, Norwegian normally uses i (in):
- i en skuff = in a drawer.
- i en boks = in a box.
- i en lomme = in a pocket.

på en skuff would mean on top of a drawer, which isn’t what we want here.

So:

i en skuff = inside the drawer → correct.
på en skuff = on the drawer → wrong meaning.

Could I change the order and say Vi beholder originalen hjemme i en skuff og sender en kopi av passet?

Yes, that’s perfectly grammatical and natural. The choice of order mostly affects emphasis:

Vi sender en kopi … og beholder originalen …
- Highlights that you first mention the sending, then clarify you keep the original.
Vi beholder originalen … og sender en kopi …
- Slightly emphasizes that you keep the original, and instead you send a copy.

Context and what you want to stress will decide which order is best, but both are idiomatic.

How would the sentence change if we were talking about more than one passport?

The plural of pass (neuter) is:

flere pass = several passports
passene = the passports (definite plural)

So for We send copies of the passports and keep the originals at home in a drawer, you could say, for example:

Vi sender kopier av passene og beholder originalene hjemme i en skuff.

Changes:

en kopi → kopier (copies, plural indefinite)
passet → passene (the passports, definite plural)
originalen → originalene (the originals, definite plural).