Nesen er kald.

to be

Breakdown of Nesen er kald.

• kald: cold
• nesen: the nose

Questions & Answers about Nesen er kald.

Where is the word the in Nesen?

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun.

So:

• en nese = a nose
• nesen = the nose

That means -en is doing the job that the does in English.

Why is it nesen and not just nese?

Nese is the basic dictionary form, meaning nose.

In this sentence, the noun is definite, so it becomes nesen. Norwegian often uses the definite form with body parts, especially when the body part is understood from context.

So Norwegian may say:

• Nesen er kald.

Where English often prefers something like:

• My nose is cold
• His nose is cold

depending on the situation.

Why is the verb er used here?

Er is the present tense of å være, which means to be.

So:

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

Unlike English, Norwegian does not change the present-tense verb form depending on the subject. Er stays the same.

Why is it kald and not or ?