# Norwegian: Tostrupkjeller



## betulina

Hei 

I'm currently translating a book in English set in Norway and there are, of course, many references to the country, which is great because I'm learning a lot about it. Unfortunately I don't speak a word of Norwegian and I can't understand what it refers to.

This is about a lawyer during a trial, who is thinking about the judges of the court. He says that "those three will decide his own status [lawyer's status] in the *Tostrupkjeller bar* for the next few months". I would like to know what "Tostrupkjeller" means. I guess it is a place, or the name of some institution, so non-translatable, but I would need to know what it means so I can put it grammatically correct in my language and give it sense. Google could not help me in it.

I'm not sure whether it is the proper forum to ask it or whether is out of the scope of the forum. If it is, just tell me.

Takk.


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## Andreas_Jensen

Hi!

It seems to be the name of a place, but "kjeller" means "cellar" or "basement" in Norwegian (at least I'm 99% sure of that ;-). That is, the part of a house that is below ground level  

"Tostrup" is very likely simply a name. It sounds like the name of a village or town (a suburb of Copenhagen is actually called Tåstrup), but it could also be the name of a person, since people are often named after the place from where they originate.

That was just my Danish opinion... If you're not in a hurry, wait for real norwegians 

Adéu!


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## betulina

Thank you, Andreas, for the help. 

We'll wait for real Norwegians to confirm, but in the context it looks like an institution. However, I think the meaning of "bar" depends on the meaning of "Tostrupkjeller". I would say it has a juridical meaning, but I could be completely wrong. 

Takk.


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## Andreas_Jensen

I'd say it's a bar (for drinking) situated in a basement, named after a place or a guy called Tostrup. I'd be very surprised if the "bar" is not actually a "bar"... ;-) In Scandinavia it's quite commen for bars to be placed in cellars. More common than in Spain/Catalunya  But then, as you mention, I don't know the context...


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## betulina

Oh, you could be quite right, Andreas. The context is just what I said, the lawyer (the counsel for the defence in the trial) thinks that about the judges. It could be something much more "lay" than what I thought and the lawyer might be worried about what they will think in the bar of "Tostrupkjeller" if he loses the trial.  "Tostrupkjeller" (I already write it without hesitations!) is the key for me, but you are convincing me more and more. 

I think I should say that the book in English is actually a translation form the Norwegian.


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## Myha

Ok... this will be just my opinion without doing any research here, but I think that Tostrupkjelleren is a rather famous bar, and as our Danish friends explained it's probably in a basement somewhere. Yes, it's common for bars to be in cellars or to have that feel to it here... I would also think that the worries of the lawyer has more to do with loosing credibility among his drinking buddies than anything else. It's also my understanding that this is a sort of nicer bar than most, and people with high education hangs out there, like journalists and lawyers and such... 

Just speculations on my behalf out of what I've seen here... but it is definitely a real place, I just haven't been there


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## Arrius

The cellar or _Keller _is also a place for bars in Germany too. In northern Europe cellars are far more common than in the UK because they help to keep the building warm and it is much more comfortable down there.  Not that the British don't need to keep warm too. It is not so long ago that they got rid of the open fire which used to singe the front and freeze the back.


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## betulina

Thank you, Myha and Arrius.

All clear now. That's the name of a bar, then. It makes sense, Andreas was right. 

Takk!


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## Pteppic

Tostrupkjelleren is indeed a famous bar (or actually a press club), previously located in the Tostrup building opposite the parliament in Oslo. The fame comes from being a sort of officially unofficial (or possibly unofficially official) meeting spot for journalists and MPs, and anybody else who is important or famous.


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## betulina

Takk, Pteppic. 

Could anybody explain why you say "Tostrupkjeller*en*"? What does this ending mean?


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## Arrius

at the end of a word the *en* is the definite article _the_, unattached at the beginning it is the indefinite article _a_.  If the word is grammatically neuter you use *et *in similar fashion.


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## Petter

I think it sort of went bankrupt after the non-smoking laws were implemented here in Norway, but was re-opened recently

Today it is called Presseklubben


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## betulina

Thank you, Arrius and Petter, for the information.


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