Erstatningen er høy.

The compensation is high.

Breakdown of Erstatningen er høy.

• være: to be
• høy: high
• erstatningen: the compensation

Questions & Answers about Erstatningen er høy.

Why does erstatningen end in -en?

Because -en is the definite singular ending here.

• erstatning = compensation / damages / reimbursement
• erstatningen = the compensation

In Norwegian, the equivalent of English the is often attached to the noun as a suffix instead of being a separate word.

So:

• en erstatning = a compensation / a payment
• erstatningen = the compensation

Why isn’t there a separate word for the?

In Norwegian, a noun is often made definite by adding an ending to the noun itself.

So instead of:

• English: the compensation

you often get:

• Norwegian: erstatning + en = erstatningen

This is very normal in Norwegian.

A separate determiner can appear too, but usually with adjectives before the noun, for example:

• den høye erstatningen = the high compensation

That structure uses both:

• a separate definite word (den)
• and the definite ending on the noun (-en)

This is often called double definiteness.

Why is it høy and not høyt?