Grisen spiser.

Because grisen is the definite singular form of gris.

• gris = pig
• en gris = a pig
• grisen = the pig

So the ending -en works like English the here.

The dictionary form is gris.

If you look it up in a dictionary, you would usually find it as gris, often with the article en: en gris. That tells you the noun is used as a common-gender/masculine-type noun in Bokmål, and its definite singular form is grisen.

In Norwegian, the definite article is often attached to the end of the noun instead of standing as a separate word.

So:

• the pig → grisen

This is very different from English, where the is a separate word.

A useful comparison:

• en gris = a pig
• grisen = the pig

If there is an adjective, Norwegian often uses both a separate article and the noun ending:

• den store grisen = the big pig

Spiser is the present tense of å spise, which means to eat.

So:

• å spise = to eat
• spiser = eat/eats or is eating, depending on context

In Norwegian, the present tense often covers both the simple present and the present progressive that English separates:

• Grisen spiser. can mean The pig eats.
• It can also mean The pig is eating.

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

Because this is a normal statement, and Norwegian usually puts the subject before the verb in a simple main clause.

• Grisen = subject
• spiser = verb

So the pattern is:

• Subject + verb

If you turn it into a yes/no question, the order changes:

• Spiser grisen? = Is the pig eating? / Does the pig eat?

This kind of verb placement is very important in Norwegian.

Yes. Just like in English, eat can be used without an object when the thing being eaten is not important or is understood from context.

So Grisen spiser. is a complete sentence.

If you want to say what it is eating, you can add an object:

• Grisen spiser eplet. = The pig is eating the apple.

Without an object, the sentence simply focuses on the action itself.

It can mean either one.

Depending on context, it could mean:

• The pig eats — a general statement or habit
• The pig is eating — something happening now

Norwegian often uses the same present-tense form for both ideas, unlike English.

If you want to make right now especially clear, you can add a time word:

• Grisen spiser nå. = The pig is eating now.

A rough English-friendly pronunciation is:

• GREE-sen SPEE-ser

A few helpful notes:

• g in grisen is a hard g, like in go
• i sounds like ee
• s stays like s, not z
• the r sound can vary by region in Norwegian

So even if your accent is not perfect, GREE-sen SPEE-ser is a good starting point.