Plantejorden er fuktig.

to be

Breakdown of Plantejorden er fuktig.

• fuktig: damp
• plantejorden: the potting soil

Questions & Answers about Plantejorden er fuktig.

Why is the attached to plantejord instead of being a separate word?

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

So:

• en plantejord = a potting soil / a planting soil
• plantejorden = the potting soil

This is very different from English, where the comes before the noun.

In this sentence, plantejorden is the definite singular form.

What kind of word is plantejorden?

Plantejorden is a compound noun:

• plante = plant
• jord = soil / earth

Together, plantejord means something like potting soil or planting soil, depending on context.

Then the ending -en makes it definite:

• plantejord = potting soil
• plantejorden = the potting soil

Compound nouns are very common in Norwegian.

Why does it end in -en and not -et?

Because plantejord is a common gender noun, also called an en-word.

So the pattern is:

• en plantejord = a potting soil
• plantejorden = the potting soil

If it were a neuter noun (et-word), the definite form would usually end in -et instead.