"Barna skriver brevene."

Translation: The children are writing the letters.

[sara-aubrey]

what is the pronunciation difference between "barnet" and "barna"?

[watersign]

Good question! How can I know is it barnet-the child or barna-the children. When I put them in the sentence both make sense. Can someone help us?

[FranklinPa666142]

I thought it said barnet. How do you hear the difference?

[BumLeg]

Barn, et barn, barnet, barna...child, a child, the child, the children. So what is the simple plural? Barn, depending on context?

[fveldig]

et barn - barnet - barn - barna

a child - the child - children - the children

You will always be able to tell the difference by looking at the determiner or adjective preceding 'barn':

mitt barn - mine barn

my child - my children

[aldodadone]

Thank you :)

[kanskje009]

This course has trained me to see even the most benign sentences in a most strange form ... I can't get the image of a dozen or so children sitting in a factory manufacturing letters for their slave overlord out of my head.

Duolingo, what have you done to me?

[Samual5200]

The pronunciations of "barna" and "barnet" are completely indistinguishable. This really needs rectifying.

[Chris64072]

I CANNOT tell the difference. Fed up trying to!!

[Drach.]

Didnt need to comment twice, but otherwise yes, pronounciations can go to Helheim

[ironjhopps]

Even with context, Barna and Barnet sound exactallu alike

[Kiezel2]

Can you also say barnene instead of barna?

[J.C.M.H.]

Yes, you can.

[anno35]

Why can't it be: 'the child is writing the letters'?

[beerzoe]

That would have been 'barnet skriver brevene'. See fveldig's comment above.

[Chris64072]

I agree with Samual. I just CANNOT distinguish between them whatsoever. Really fed up trying to.!!

[ChrisMille314526]

So in another lesson they said "the letters" is "breva" not "brevene." Which is correct?

[Adrian442793]

“Brevene” is (I think) the most common form, but all neuter nouns can optionally go “-a” in the neuter definite plural.

The words that most commonly take this form are “barna” and “beina”.