Padlekurset begynner i dag.

The paddling course begins today.

Breakdown of Padlekurset begynner i dag.

• i dag: today
• begynne: to begin
• padlekurset: the paddling course

Questions & Answers about Padlekurset begynner i dag.

Why is padlekurset written as one word?

Because Norwegian usually forms compound nouns by joining words together.

Here, padlekurset is made from:

• padle = paddle
• kurs = course
• -et = the

So the basic noun is padlekurs = paddling course, and padlekurset = the paddling course.

This is very common in Norwegian. Where English often uses two words, Norwegian often uses one compound word.

What does the ending -et mean in padlekurset?

-et is the definite ending for a neuter noun in the singular.

The noun here is et kurs = a course.
When it becomes definite, kurs becomes kurset = the course.

So:

• et padlekurs = a paddling course
• padlekurset = the paddling course

In Norwegian, the definite article is often attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word like English the.

Why isn’t there a separate word for the?