Sjøgangen er rolig.

to be

Breakdown of Sjøgangen er rolig.

• rolig: calm
• sjøgangen: the sea conditions; swell

Questions & Answers about Sjøgangen er rolig.

What does sjøgang mean exactly?

Sjøgang refers to the movement of the sea, especially the swell or how rough/calm the water is. It is not exactly the same as just sea.

So Sjøgangen er rolig is more like:

• The sea is calm
• The swell is calm
• Sea conditions are calm

depending on context.

Why is it sjøgangen and not sjøgang?

Because sjøgangen is the definite form of the noun.

• en sjøgang = a sea movement / a swell / sea state
• sjøgangen = the sea movement / the swell / the sea state

Norwegian often uses the definite form where English would also use the, especially when talking about a specific situation already understood from context, such as the current sea conditions.

Why is there no separate word for the?

In Norwegian, the is often built into the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.

Here:

• en sjøgang = a sea state
• sjøgangen = the sea state

The ending -en is the definite article for many singular nouns.

So English uses two words, but Norwegian often uses one.

What gender is sjøgang?