Allmennkunnskap er viktig.

Because Norwegian usually writes compound nouns as a single word.

• allmenn = general
• kunnskap = knowledge

So allmennkunnskap is a compound noun meaning general knowledge.

This is very common in Norwegian. English often uses two words where Norwegian uses one, so this is something learners notice a lot.

It is an abstract compound noun.

The last part of a Norwegian compound usually decides the gender, and here the last part is kunnskap. In Bokmål, kunnskap is generally treated as masculine, so the compound is too.

For example:

• indefinite: allmennkunnskap
• definite singular: allmennkunnskapen

However, in this sentence it is being used as a general concept, so you do not see an article.

Because the noun is being used in a general, abstract sense.

Norwegian often leaves out the article with abstract nouns or with nouns used to talk about something in general:

• Kunnskap er viktig.
• Musikk er viktig.
• Utdanning er nyttig.

So Allmennkunnskap er viktig means that general knowledge, as a concept, is important.

If you were talking about a specific person's general knowledge, you could use the definite form instead:

• Allmennkunnskapen hans er god.

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

So:

• å være = to be
• er = am / is / are

Norwegian does not change the present-tense verb for different persons the way English does. You use er with all of these:

• jeg er
• du er
• han er
• vi er
• de er

So Allmennkunnskap er viktig is the normal present-tense way to say that general knowledge is important.

Viktig is the correct singular form here.

A few useful points:

1. It is a predicate adjective because it comes after er.
2. Predicate adjectives in Norwegian agree with the noun in number, and sometimes gender.
3. With viktig, the singular form is viktig, while the plural is viktige.

For example:

• Boken er viktig.
• Temaet er viktig.
• Bøkene er viktige.

So in Allmennkunnskap er viktig, the singular form viktig is correct.

The word order is the normal Norwegian order for a simple statement:

subject + verb + complement

So here:

• Allmennkunnskap = subject
• er = verb
• viktig = complement/adjective

This is one of the most basic sentence patterns in Norwegian.

A useful extra point: Norwegian is a V2 language, which means the finite verb usually comes in the second position in main clauses. So if you move something else to the front, the verb still stays second:

• I dag er allmennkunnskap viktig.
• På skolen er allmennkunnskap viktig.

For a yes/no question, you normally put the verb first:

• Er allmennkunnskap viktig?

That is the standard way to make a simple question in Norwegian.

So:

• statement: Allmennkunnskap er viktig.
• question: Er allmennkunnskap viktig?

It works in both Bokmål and Nynorsk.

That is helpful for learners, because some sentences look different in the two written standards, but this one does not.

So you can read Allmennkunnskap er viktig as perfectly normal in either standard.

Yes, people would understand it, but allmennkunnskap is usually the more natural word if you mean general knowledge in the broad, school/quiz/world-knowledge sense.

A rough difference is:

• allmennkunnskap = broad general knowledge about the world
• generell kunnskap = a more literal phrase, often just general knowledge in a broader or less fixed sense

So allmennkunnskap is the more standard, idiomatic choice here.

A very rough pronunciation guide is:

AHL-men-kunn-skahp er VIK-ti(g)

A few helpful notes:

• The main stress in allmennkunnskap is on the first part.
• The double consonants in allmenn and kunnskap help show that the vowel before them is short.
• The final -g in viktig can sound weak or vary depending on dialect.

You do not need to get every sound perfect right away; the main thing is to keep the rhythm clear and stress ALLmennkunnskap and VIKtig.