Leiren er fuktig.

The clay is damp.

Breakdown of Leiren er fuktig.

• være: to be
• fuktig: damp
• leiren: the clay

Questions & Answers about Leiren er fuktig.

Why is it leiren and not just leir?

Because Norwegian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun.

• leir = camp
• en leir = a camp
• leiren = the camp

So Leiren er fuktig means The camp is damp/moist. If you said just leir, it would sound incomplete in a normal sentence like this.

What gender is leir, and what forms does it have?

Leir is a common-gender noun in Bokmål, so it takes en in the indefinite singular.

Useful forms:

• en leir = a camp
• leiren = the camp
• leirer = camps
• leirene = the camps

So this sentence uses the definite singular form.

Why is the verb er here?

Er is the present tense of å være = to be.

So:

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

Unlike English, Norwegian does not change the present-tense form of å være depending on the subject. It is always er in the present.

Why is the adjective fuktig in that form?