Barna lager søl når de søler vann ved bordet.

The children make a mess when they spill water by the table.

Breakdown of Barna lager søl når de søler vann ved bordet.

• vannet: the water
• barnet: the child
• de: they
• når: when
• lage: to make
• bordet: the table
• ved: by
• søle: to spill
• sølet: the mess

Questions & Answers about Barna lager søl når de søler vann ved bordet.

Why is barna used instead of barn?

Barna is the definite plural of barn (the children). Norwegian often prefers the definite form when talking about a specific, known group (e.g., your/the children in the room).

• barn = children (indefinite, more general)
• barna = the children (definite, specific)

What’s the difference between søl and søler in this sentence?

They look similar but are different parts of speech:

• søl is a noun meaning a mess/spill (uncountable in practice here): lager søl = make a mess
• søler is a verb (present tense of å søle) meaning spill: de søler vann = they spill water

Why does Norwegian say lager søl—is that a fixed expression?

Yes, å lage søl is a very common collocation meaning to make a mess (often by spilling, smearing, dropping things, etc.). You’ll also see:

• å søle (spill) = the action
• å lage søl (make a mess) = the result/effect

Why is når used here instead of da?

når is used for habitual/repeated situations or for general “whenever/when” statements. This sentence describes something that happens typically: they make a mess when/whenever they spill water.
da is more typical for a single event in the past (roughly “when/then” in a one-time narrative).

Why does the sentence use de in the second clause instead of repeating barna?

Norwegian, like English, often avoids repeating the noun and uses a pronoun:

• Barna ... når de ... = The children ... when they ... It’s natural and keeps the sentence lighter.

Is the word order after når different from normal word order?

Yes. når introduces a subordinate clause, and subordinate clauses usually have no verb-second (V2) inversion. So it stays:

• når de søler vann (when they spill water)
  not når søler de vann (that would sound wrong in standard Norwegian)

Why is there no comma before når? Shouldn’t there be one?

There is a comma: Barna lager søl, når ... would be the wrong place for it, but Barna lager søl når ... is correct without a comma in Norwegian in many cases.
In practice, Norwegian punctuation is a bit less strict than, for example, German. A common guideline:

• If the subordinate clause is essential and closely tied to the main clause, a comma is often omitted in modern Norwegian usage. You may still see writers include a comma in similar sentences, but your version is very common and acceptable.

What does ved bordet mean exactly, and why ved?

ved bordet means at the table (literally “by the table”). ved is used for being located next to/at something:

• sitte ved bordet = sit at the table
• stå ved døra = stand by the door
  Other prepositions like på usually mean on top of something (physically on the surface).

Could I also say på bordet here?

Only if you mean the water is spilled onto the tabletop surface specifically.

• ved bordet = at the table (the location of the kids)
• på bordet = on the table (the water ends up on the table surface)

What tense is being used in lager and søler, and does it imply present or habitual?

Both lager and søler are present tense. In Norwegian, present tense commonly covers:

• what is happening now, and/or
• what happens generally/habitually
  Here it reads naturally as habitual/general: the children make a mess when they spill water.

How do you conjugate å lage and å søle?

They are regular in the present tense:

• å lage → lager (present)
• å søle → søler (present)
  Past forms you may meet:
• laget = made
• sølte = spilled

How do you pronounce søl, søler, and the letter ø?

ø is a front rounded vowel (similar to the vowel in French deux, or somewhat like “uh” with rounded lips).
Approximate guidance:

• søl ≈ “suhl” (with rounded lips)
• søler ≈ “SUH-ler” (again with ø sound)
  Exact pronunciation varies slightly by dialect, but ø is consistently distinct from o and e.