Barna leker overalt.

Barna means the children.

It comes from the noun et barn = a child.

The forms are:

• et barn = a child
• barn = children
• barna = the children

For this noun, barna is the normal definite plural form in Bokmål. A form like barnene may sometimes be seen in older or more formal-style language, but barna is the common everyday form learners should use.

Leker is the present tense of å leke, which means to play.

So:

• å leke = to play
• leker = play / are playing

In Norwegian, the present tense does not change depending on the subject:

• jeg leker = I play / am playing
• du leker = you play / are playing
• barna leker = the children play / are playing

That makes it simpler than English.

Yes. Leker can also be the plural noun toys, from en leke = a toy.

So Norwegian has:

• leker = play / are playing (verb)
• leker = toys (noun, plural)

In Barna leker overalt, it is clearly a verb, because the sentence structure is:

• Barna = subject
• leker = verb
• overalt = adverb

So here it means The children are playing everywhere, not The children toys everywhere.

Overalt means everywhere or all over the place.

It is an adverb of place. It tells you where the action happens.

Examples:

• Folk er overalt. = People are everywhere.
• Det ligger bøker overalt. = There are books everywhere.
• Barna leker overalt. = The children are playing everywhere.

Because Norwegian often uses the simple present where English can use either play or are playing.

So Barna leker can mean:

• The children play
• The children are playing

The exact meaning depends on context.

English often needs are + -ing for an action happening now, but Norwegian usually just uses the present tense verb on its own.

This is the normal word order for a basic statement in Norwegian:

• subject + verb + adverb

So:

• Barna = subject
• leker = verb
• overalt = adverb

This is the most neutral way to say it.

If you changed the order, the meaning or sentence type could change. For example:

• Leker barna overalt? = Are the children playing everywhere?
  Now it is a question.

Norwegian also follows the verb-second rule, which is very important. In a normal statement like this one, the verb comes early, usually right after the subject.

Yes. Barna can often be translated as:

• the children
• the kids

And overalt can be translated as:

• everywhere
• all over the place

So depending on tone, natural English translations could include:

• The children are playing everywhere.
• The kids are playing everywhere.
• The kids are playing all over the place.

A rough English-friendly guide is:

BAR-na LEH-ker OH-ver-alt

A few notes:

• barna has two syllables: bar-na
• leker has two syllables: le-ker
• overalt has three syllables: o-ver-alt

Important pronunciation points:

• The r sound in Norwegian is usually clearer than in most English accents.
• The e in leker is more like the vowel in let, but a bit tenser in many accents.
• The a in barna is a broad a, not the English ay sound.

Pronunciation varies by dialect, so exact sound details can differ.

Usually yes, barna refers to specific children: the children.

Because barna is definite plural, it normally points to children already known from the situation or context, for example:

• the children in the family
• the children at school
• the children we have already mentioned

If you wanted a more general or indefinite meaning, you would more likely use barn:

• Barn leker overalt. = Children play everywhere.

That sounds more general, while Barna leker overalt sounds like we are talking about particular children.

Yes, but the neutral version is Barna leker overalt.

You can move overalt for emphasis, but then the word order must still follow Norwegian rules. For example:

• Overalt leker barna.

This is grammatically possible, but it sounds marked or literary. It puts strong focus on everywhere.

For most learners, the safest and most natural choice is:

• Barna leker overalt.