Kirken er gammel.

The church is old.

Breakdown of Kirken er gammel.

• være: to be
• gammel: old
• kirken: the church

Questions & Answers about Kirken er gammel.

Why is it kirken and not kirke?

Because kirken is the definite singular form: the church.

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word before it.

• kirke = church
• kirken = the church

So the -en ending here works like English the.

Why is the ending -en used here?

For many nouns in Bokmål, -en is the definite singular ending used with masculine-style forms.

With kirke, this is especially interesting because the noun can often be treated as either feminine or masculine in Bokmål:

• en kirke – kirken
• ei kirke – kirka

Both are possible in Bokmål. Your sentence uses the common form kirken.

Could I also say Kirka er gammel?

Yes. In Bokmål, kirka er gammel is also correct if you are using feminine forms.

So these are both acceptable:

• Kirken er gammel
• Kirka er gammel

The version with kirken is often taught early because many learners first meet the masculine/common-gender pattern.

Why is it gammel and not gammelt or gamle?