Regnvannstønnen er full.

The rain barrel is full.

Breakdown of Regnvannstønnen er full.

• være: to be
• full: full
• regnvannstønnen: the rain barrel

Questions & Answers about Regnvannstønnen er full.

What does regnvannstønnen break down into?

It is a compound noun:

• regn = rain
• vann = water
• tønne = barrel / cask

So regnvannstønne literally means rainwater barrel.

Norwegian makes compounds very freely, much like English. Instead of writing rain water barrel as separate words, Norwegian normally joins them into one word: regnvannstønne.

Why does regnvannstønnen end in -en?

The ending -en marks the noun as definite singular, meaning the rainwater barrel.

So:

• en regnvannstønne = a rainwater barrel
• regnvannstønnen = the rainwater barrel

In Norwegian, definiteness is often shown by adding an ending to the noun rather than using a separate word like the.

Why isn’t there a separate word for the?

Because Norwegian usually builds the into the noun itself.

So English:

• the barrel

becomes Norwegian:

• tønnen

And in this sentence:

• Regnvannstønnen = the rainwater barrel

This is one of the biggest differences from English grammar.

Why is the verb er used here?