Butikken er åpen hele døgnet.

to be

Breakdown of Butikken er åpen hele døgnet.

• butikken: the store
• åpen: open
• hele: whole

Questions & Answers about Butikken er åpen hele døgnet.

Why does butikken mean the shop?

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

• butikk = a shop
• butikken = the shop

So the ending -en is doing the job that the does in English.

Why is it er?

Er is the present tense of å være (to be).

So:

• butikken = the shop
• er = is
• åpen = open

This is a very common pattern in Norwegian: subject + er + adjective.

Why is it åpen and not åpent or åpne?

Because the subject butikken is a singular common-gender noun.

Predicate adjectives in Norwegian usually agree with the noun:

• common gender singular: åpen
• neuter singular: åpent
• plural: åpne

So you get:

• Butikken er åpen = the shop is open
• Huset er åpent = the house is open
• Butikkene er åpne = the shops are open

Is åpen the same as åpnet?