Fornøyelsen var stor.

Because fornøyelsen is the definite form of the noun fornøyelse.

• fornøyelse = pleasure / a pleasure
• fornøyelsen = the pleasure

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

So:

• en fornøyelse = a pleasure
• fornøyelsen = the pleasure

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

Here, the ending -en in fornøyelsen already means the.

So you do not need a separate article before the noun in this sentence.

Compare:

• en bok = a book
• boken = the book

The same pattern is used here:

• en fornøyelse = a pleasure
• fornøyelsen = the pleasure

Fornøyelse is a common gender noun.

Its indefinite singular form is:

• en fornøyelse

Because it is common gender singular, the predicate adjective is:

• stor

If it were a neuter noun, you would expect stort instead.

Because stor is being used as a predicate adjective after the verb var.

In Norwegian, adjectives can appear in two main positions:

1. Attributive: directly before a noun

   • den store fornøyelsen = the great/big pleasure

2. Predicative: after verbs like er or var

   • fornøyelsen var stor = the pleasure was great

In predicative position, the adjective agrees with gender and number, but it does not take the definite-form ending just because the noun is definite.

So:

• common gender singular → stor
• neuter singular → stort
• plural → store

That is why Fornøyelsen var stor is correct, not store.

Var is the past tense of å være (to be).

So:

• er = is
• var = was

Examples:

• Fornøyelsen er stor. = The pleasure is great.
• Fornøyelsen var stor. = The pleasure was great.

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

• Fornøyelsen = subject
• var = verb
• stor = predicate adjective

So the structure is:

Subject + verb + complement

That is a very standard sentence pattern in Norwegian.

Literally, stor often means big or large, but with abstract nouns it often means great, considerable, or strong.

So in this sentence, stor is more naturally understood as something like:

• great
• considerable
• very strong

This is common in Norwegian. For example:

• stor glede = great joy
• stor betydning = great importance
• stor interesse = great interest

So yes, the basic word is big, but here the natural sense is more like great.

Yes. That would mean something like The pleasure was very great or The pleasure was very big/intense.

Adding veldig makes the statement stronger:

• Fornøyelsen var stor. = The pleasure was great.
• Fornøyelsen var veldig stor. = The pleasure was very great.

The shorter version without veldig is perfectly natural and often sounds more elegant or literary.

Yes, it can.

Fornøyelsen var stor sounds a bit more formal, polished, or literary than everyday casual speech in many contexts.

In more casual Norwegian, people might often say something like:

• Det var veldig hyggelig.
• Det var en stor fornøyelse.
• Jeg satte stor pris på det.

But Fornøyelsen var stor is still perfectly correct and natural, especially in written language, speeches, or more formal situations.

They are similar, but not exactly the same in structure or emphasis.

• Fornøyelsen var stor.
  This starts with the pleasure and comments on how great it was. It can sound more formal or rhetorical.

• Det var en stor fornøyelse.
  This means It was a great pleasure and is often more common in everyday use.

So the second version may feel a bit more idiomatic in many situations, while the original sentence has a slightly more elevated tone.

Because in this sentence the adjective comes after the verb, not before the noun.

Compare:

• den store fornøyelsen
  Here store modifies the noun directly.

• fornøyelsen var stor
  Here stor describes the subject after the verb var.

These are two different grammatical patterns:

• attributive adjective: before the noun → den store fornøyelsen
• predicative adjective: after er/var/blir → fornøyelsen var stor

Often yes, but not always exactly.

Fornøyelse is a good match for pleasure in many contexts, especially formal ones. But in everyday Norwegian, people may sometimes choose other words depending on the situation, such as:

• glede = joy
• hyggelig = pleasant / nice
• kjekt = nice / enjoyable
• moro = fun

So while fornøyelse is correct and useful, it can sound a bit formal in some everyday contexts.

Then the adjective would become store.

For example:

• Fornøyelsen var stor. = singular
• Fornøyelsene var store. = plural

This shows normal adjective agreement in predicative position:

• common singular → stor
• neuter singular → stort
• plural → store