Word
Tilstanden er alvorlig.
Meaning
The condition is serious.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
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Questions & Answers about Tilstanden er alvorlig.
Why is it tilstanden and not tilstand?
Because tilstanden is the definite form of the noun tilstand, meaning the condition/state rather than just a condition/state.
- en tilstand = a condition / a state
- tilstanden = the condition / the state
In Norwegian, definiteness is usually added to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.
So:
- Tilstanden er alvorlig. = The condition is serious.
What gender is tilstand, and how does that affect the form?
Tilstand is a masculine noun in Bokmål:
- en tilstand = a condition
- tilstanden = the condition
For many masculine nouns, the definite singular ending is -en.
A very common pattern is:
- en bil → bilen
- en dag → dagen
- en tilstand → tilstanden
Why is there no separate word for the in Norwegian?