Norwegian word choices
Ut av vs utenfor in Norwegian: Examples and Practice
Use ut av for leaving a place and utenfor for being outside it. Practise naming the place in four everyday situations.
The short answer
Ut av: out of a place. Jeg går ut av huset (I am walking out of the house).
Utenfor: outside a place. Jeg venter utenfor huset (I am waiting outside the house).
Movement alone does not decide it. Barna løper utenfor huset describes children running outside the house; it does not say they are leaving it.
Show all 4 examples with answersHide examples with answers
Four examples with answers
Keep these examples for learning
Four situations about leaving a place or being outside it, with answers and explanations.
Prompt
You’re inside the library and walking through the exit. Jeg går ___ biblioteket nå. Choose ut av or utenfor.
Answer and explanation
Jeg går ut av biblioteket nå. I am walking out of the library now. You are leaving the inside of the library: use ut av.
Prompt
You’re already outside the cinema, waiting by the entrance. Jeg venter ___ kinoen. Choose ut av or utenfor.
Answer and explanation
Jeg venter utenfor kinoen. I am waiting outside the cinema. The cinema is the place you are outside: use utenfor.
Prompt
The dog runs from inside the kitchen through its doorway. Hunden løper ___ kjøkkenet. Choose ut av or utenfor.
Answer and explanation
Hunden løper ut av kjøkkenet. The dog runs out of the kitchen. The dog is leaving the kitchen, even if it stays indoors: use ut av.
Prompt
The children are already outdoors, running around next to the house. Barna løper ___ huset. Choose ut av or utenfor.
Answer and explanation
Barna løper utenfor huset. The children are running outside the house. The running happens outside the house; they are not running out of it: use utenfor.
Usage notes
With ut av, the following noun names the place someone or something comes out of: ut av rommet (out of the room). With utenfor, it names the place whose outside you mean: utenfor rommet (outside the room). Outside a room can still be indoors.
Both phrases can fit after a movement verb, but they describe different situations. Read whether someone is leaving the place or whether the action happens outside it. These exercises cover physical places; utenfor also has figurative uses.
For “going outside” and “being outside” without naming a place, start with ut vs ute.
References: NTNU: ut, ute and utenfor and Bokmålsordboka: utenfor. Practice examples are original.