Hver enhet er liten.

Hver means each or every. In this sentence, it means that all the units are small, considered one by one.

A useful pattern is:

• hver + singular noun

Examples:

• Hver dag = every day
• Hver student = each student / every student
• Hver enhet = each unit / every unit

In many cases, English can translate hver as either each or every, depending on style and context.

Because hver is followed by an indefinite singular noun.

So you get:

• hver enhet = each unit / every unit

Not:

• hver enheten ❌

This is similar to English: we say every unit, not every the unit.

Because hver already works as a determiner, so you do not add en.

Compare:

• en enhet = a unit
• hver enhet = each/every unit

So:

• hver enhet ✅
• hver en enhet ❌

This is like English:

• a unit
• every unit not every a unit

Because enhet is a common-gender singular noun, and the adjective must agree with it.

The adjective liten changes form:

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

So:

• Enheten er liten = The unit is small
• Huset er lite = The house is small
• Enhetene er små = The units are small

Since enhet is singular and not neuter, liten is the correct form.

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

So:

• er = is / are

In this sentence:

• Hver enhet er liten = Each unit is small

Even though English uses is with each unit, Norwegian uses the same form er for both singular and plural subjects:

• Enheten er liten = The unit is small
• Enhetene er små = The units are small

Because Norwegian uses hver + singular noun.

Even though the overall meaning refers to all units, the grammar treats them one at a time:

• Hver enhet = each individual unit

This is the same idea as English:

• Every unit is small not
• Every units are small ❌

So the verb and adjective also match a singular idea here.

Yes. This is a very basic and normal Norwegian sentence pattern:

• Subject + verb + adjective/complement

So here:

• Hver enhet = subject
• er = verb
• liten = adjective

This is the standard order you would expect in a simple statement.

Yes. Alle enheter er små is also correct, but it is not exactly the same in form.

Compare:

• Hver enhet er liten = Each unit is small / Every unit is small
• Alle enheter er små = All units are small

Differences:

• hver takes a singular noun
• alle takes a plural noun

So:

• hver enhet = each unit
• alle enheter = all units

Both can express a very similar overall meaning.

Because grammatically the subject is singular: hver enhet.

Even though the meaning applies to many units, Norwegian treats hver enhet as one unit at a time, so the adjective stays singular:

• Hver enhet er liten ✅
• Hver enhet er små ❌

You only use små with a plural noun:

• Enhetene er små
• Alle enheter er små

Here liten is an adjective used predicatively. That means it comes after the verb er and describes the subject.

Compare:

• en liten enhet = a small unit
  
  • adjective before the noun
• Enheten er liten = The unit is small
  
  • adjective after er

In Hver enhet er liten, liten describes hver enhet.

You would change er to var:

• Hver enhet var liten = Each unit was small

The rest stays the same.

So:

• er = is
• var = was

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• enhet ≈ EN-het

A few notes:

• The first part en- sounds like en
• The second part -het is a very common ending in Norwegian nouns
• The h is pronounced

If you want to sound more natural, it helps to listen to native audio, because vowel length and pitch accent are hard to show perfectly in English spelling.

In Bokmål, enhet is commonly treated as a common-gender noun, and you will usually see:

• en enhet
• enheten

Some feminine nouns in Bokmål can take either en or ei, depending on style, but learners will most often meet enhet with en in standard usage.

That is why liten works naturally here:

• Hver enhet er liten