Byen er enorm.

to be

Breakdown of Byen er enorm.

• byen: the city
• enorm: enormous

Questions & Answers about Byen er enorm.

Why does byen end in -en?

Because Norwegian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun.

• by = city / town
• byen = the city

So -en here means the. This is very different from English, where the comes before the noun.

What is the base form of byen?

The base form is by, which means city or town.

Its forms are:

• en by = a city
• byen = the city
• byer = cities
• byene = the cities

So in this sentence, byen is the definite singular form.

Why is it er and not something like is changing with the subject?

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

In Norwegian, the present tense verb does not change depending on the subject:

• jeg er = I am
• du er = you are
• byen er = the city is
• de er = they are

So er works for all persons in the present tense.

Why is not changing its ending?