Lesson goal
After the lesson, the student will be able to describe housing and the neighborhood, talk about renting and living conditions, mention costs and problems in the apartment, and correctly use the constructions det er and det finnes when describing housing.
Usage context
This topic is used when looking for an apartment, talking to a landlord, describing your home to acquaintances, discussing the neighborhood, rent costs, neighbors, and household problems. Typical situations: apartment viewing, rental correspondence, noise complaint, reporting a malfunction, telling where and how you live.
New vocabulary
leilighet — apartment — a neutral word for an apartment of any type
nabolag — neighborhood, area — often used when describing convenience and atmosphere
husleie — rent — usually refers to monthly housing payment
depositum — deposit — an amount paid in advance when renting
romslig — spacious — used for a room, apartment, or house
bråkete — noisy — often used about an area, neighbors, or a street
flytte — move — can mean both moving into a new place and moving out
vedlikehold — maintenance, upkeep — often in the context of the responsibilities of the owner or tenant
utleier — landlord — the person who rents out the housing
hybel — small room or studio — often a more modest housing option
bokollektiv — shared housing, apartment with roommates — typical for students and young workers
fellesutgifter — shared expenses — additional payments besides rent
balkong — balcony — a common detail when describing an apartment
oppvarming — heating — important when discussing living conditions and expenses
Useful phrases
Jeg bor i en romslig leilighet i sentrum. — I live in a spacious apartment in the city center. — when you describe your home
Det finnes gode kollektivtilbud i nabolaget. — There is good public transport in the neighborhood. — when talking about the area's infrastructure
Husleien er ganske høy. — The rent is quite high. — when discussing housing costs
Vi må kontakte utleieren om problemet. — We need to contact the landlord about the problem. — when something in the apartment is not working
Det er lyst og stille her. — It is bright and quiet here. — when describing the conditions in the apartment
Det er litt bråkete om kvelden. — It is a little noisy here in the evenings. — when talking about disadvantages of the area or building
Det finnes en balkong og et bodrom. — There is a balcony and a storage room here. — when listing what the housing has
Depositumet er på tre måneders husleie. — The deposit is equal to three months' rent. — when clarifying rental conditions
Grammar
Two constructions are important in this lesson: det er and det finnes. Both help describe housing, but they are not used in the same way.
det er — used to describe a state, quality, location, or a specific situation: Det er kaldt i stua., Det er stille her.
det finnes — used when you need to say that something exists or is available: Det finnes en butikk i nærheten., Det finnes flere parkeringsplasser.
If you are describing a quality, you usually need det er: Det er romslig., not Det finnes romslig.
If you are introducing an object that exists in the area, building, or apartment, you usually need det finnes: Det finnes et vaskerom i kjelleren.
det er is also often used with a specific noun in the meaning of “this is/there is,” especially in spoken language: Det er en stor stue.. But for the meaning of existence in a more neutral description, det finnes is often preferable.
After det finnes, the indefinite form of the noun is usually used, because the point is the presence of something in general: Det finnes en balkong.
Examples with explanation
Jeg bor i en liten, men romslig leilighet. — I live in a small but spacious apartment. Two adjectives are used for a more natural description of housing.
Det er veldig lyst i stua om morgenen. — It is very bright in the living room in the morning. Det er shows a quality of the room at a specific time.
Det finnes et treningssenter i nabolaget. — There is a gym in the neighborhood. Here the important point is the existence of the place, so det finnes is used.
Husleien er høy, men området er rolig. — The rent is high, but the area is quiet. A good example of comparing the pros and cons of housing.
Det er ofte bråkete utenfor bygningen i helgene. — It is often noisy outside the building on weekends. Det er describes a typical situation.
Vi skal flytte til et roligere nabolag neste måned. — We are moving to a quieter neighborhood next month. The verb flytte is often used with an indication of direction.
Det finnes ikke heis i bygningen. — There is no elevator in the building. Negation with det finnes shows the absence of an object.
Utleieren har ansvar for vedlikehold av badet. — The landlord is responsible for maintenance of the bathroom. The lesson vocabulary is used in a typical rental context.
Det er dårlig oppvarming i leiligheten om vinteren. — There is poor heating in the apartment in winter. Here a living condition is described, so det er is needed.
Det finnes både balkong og bod, så leiligheten er praktisk. — There is both a balcony and a storage room, so the apartment is practical. First the presence of amenities is mentioned, then an evaluation is given.
Typical mistakes
Det finnes kaldt i leiligheten. → Det er kaldt i leiligheten. — with adjectives of state, det er is needed
Det er mange butikker i nabolaget. → Det finnes mange butikker i nabolaget. — when emphasizing the presence of places, det finnes is better
Jeg bor på en leilighet. → Jeg bor i en leilighet. — with housing, the preposition i is usually used
Husleie er ganske høy. → Husleien er ganske høy. — in a specific situation, the form with the definite article is more often needed
Vi må kontakte utleier om problemet. → Vi må kontakte utleieren om problemet. — when talking about a specific landlord, the definite form is usually needed
Det finnes veldig stille her. → Det er veldig stille her. — stille describes a quality of the environment, not the presence of an object
Mini-summary
det er — for describing housing conditions, quality, and state
det finnes — for stating the presence of objects and amenities
husleie, depositum, utleier — basic vocabulary for the topic of renting
romslig and bråkete help briefly evaluate housing and the neighborhood
For a natural description of housing, it is useful to combine the presence of objects and a general evaluation in one message