Bulken er liten.

Because -en is the definite singular ending for many masculine nouns in Norwegian. So bulken means the ... rather than just a/an ....

This is one of the big differences from English: Norwegian often puts the definite article onto the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

• indefinite: en bulk
• definite: bulken

So in this sentence, the noun is in the definite form.

Norwegian usually builds the into the noun itself.

So instead of saying something like the bulk, Norwegian says bulken. That -en ending already carries the meaning of the.

This is very common in Norwegian:

• bil = car
• bilen = the car

So bulken already includes the idea of the.

This is the normal word order for a simple statement in Norwegian:

subject + verb + adjective/complement

So here:

• Bulken = subject
• er = verb
• liten = adjective describing the subject

It works very much like English The ... is small.

Er is the present tense of å være, which means to be.

So er means is / am / are, depending on context. Norwegian does not change the form the way English does.

Examples:

• jeg er = I am
• du er = you are
• han er = he is
• de er = they are

So in Bulken er liten, er means is.

Because liten is the form that agrees with a singular masculine or feminine noun when the adjective is used predicatively, meaning after er.

Here, liten is not placed directly before the noun. It comes after er, so it is a predicate adjective.

Compare:

• en liten bil = a small car
• bilen er liten = the car is small

Even though bilen is definite, the adjective after er is still liten, not lille.

Very roughly:

• liten = singular masculine/feminine
• lite = singular neuter
• små = plural
• lille = usually before a definite noun, as in den lille bilen

So this sentence uses the correct form for this structure.

Yes. Norwegian adjectives usually agree with the noun in gender and number.

With liten, the forms are a bit irregular:

• common gender singular: liten
• neuter singular: lite
• plural: små

Examples:

• Bilen er liten. = The car is small.
• Huset er lite. = The house is small.
• Bilene er små. = The cars are small.

So liten is used here because the noun is singular and not neuter.

This is a very common question.

In Norwegian, lille is usually used when the adjective comes before a definite noun:

• den lille bilen = the small car

But when the adjective comes after er, you normally use the regular predicate form:

• bilen er liten = the car is small

So definiteness affects adjectives differently depending on where the adjective appears:

• before the noun: often lille
• after er: liten

That is why Bulken er liten is correct.

No. Norwegian does not capitalize all nouns.

Bulken is capitalized here only because it is the first word of the sentence.

Unlike German, Norwegian normally writes nouns with lowercase letters unless they begin a sentence or are part of a name.

You usually put the verb first:

Er bulken liten?

This is a standard Norwegian yes/no question pattern:

verb + subject + adjective

Compare:

• statement: Bulken er liten.
• question: Er bulken liten?

Yes, but the meaning would change.

• Bulken er liten. = The ... is small.
• En bulk er liten. = A ... is small.

Without the definite ending, you usually need an article like en if you mean a/an.

So the choice between bulk and bulken is about whether the noun is indefinite or definite.