Familien er rik.

to be

Breakdown of Familien er rik.

• familien: the family
• rik: rich; wealthy

Questions & Answers about Familien er rik.

Why is it familien and not familie?

Because -en is the definite singular ending for this noun.

• en familie = a family
• familien = the family

So Familien er rik literally means The family is rich.

What is the basic dictionary form of familien?

The dictionary form is en familie.

That tells you:

• the noun is usually treated as a common-gender noun
• the indefinite singular is en familie
• the definite singular is familien

Other useful forms are:

• familier = families
• familiene = the families

Why is it er?

Er is the present tense of the verb å være (to be).

So:

• jeg er = I am
• du er = you are
• han/hun er = he/she is
• familien er = the family is

Norwegian does not change the present-tense form the way English does. It is just er for all persons.

Why is it rik and not rike or rikt?