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Questions & Answers about Hendelsen skjedde i går.
Why is hendelsen one word, and what does -en mean?
In Norwegian, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.
- en hendelse = an event / a happening
- hendelsen = the event
So -en here is the masculine singular definite ending, meaning the.
This is one of the biggest differences from English:
- English: the event
- Norwegian: hendelsen
What is the base form of skjedde?
The base form is å skje, which means to happen.
- å skje = infinitive
- skjer = present tense
- skjedde = past tense
- har skjedd = past participle / present perfect form
So in this sentence, skjedde is simply the past tense: happened.
Is skjedde an irregular verb form?
Yes. Å skje is not a fully regular verb.
Its main forms are:
- å skje = to happen
- skjer = happens / is happening
- skjedde = happened
- har skjedd = has happened
A learner often expects a more predictable pattern, but this is just one of those verbs whose forms need to be memorized.
Why is it i går and not just one word for ?