Lukten er ekkel.

Lukt is the basic noun, while lukten is the definite singular form.

So the pattern is:

• en lukt = a smell
• lukten = the smell

In this sentence, the noun is definite, so Norwegian adds the ending -en to the noun.

Because Norwegian usually puts the definite article onto the end of the noun instead of using a separate word before it.

So:

• English: the smell
• Norwegian: lukten

This is very common in Norwegian:

• bilen = the car
• huset = the house
• mannen = the man

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

So it works just like English is:

• jeg er = I am
• du er = you are
• lukten er = the smell is

It links the subject lukten with the description ekkel.

Because ekkel agrees with a singular non-neuter noun here.

In predicative position, adjectives usually agree like this:

• ekkel for singular masculine/feminine/common-gender nouns
• ekkelt for singular neuter nouns
• ekle for plural

Examples:

• Lukten er ekkel.
• Huset er ekkelt.
• Luktene er ekle.

A useful point: even though lukten is definite, the adjective does not become a definite form here, because it comes after the verb er. That is called a predicative adjective.

Compare:

• den ekle lukten = adjective before the noun
• lukten er ekkel = adjective after er

Not always exactly, but it is very close.

Ekkel can mean things like:

• disgusting
• gross
• nasty
• revolting

With smell, it often sounds like gross or disgusting. It is stronger than just bad or unpleasant.

So Lukten er ekkel suggests that the smell is not just weakly unpleasant, but really nasty.

Yes, often you can.

Many speakers use either:

• lukten
• lukta

This is because lukt can be treated as a feminine noun by some speakers, especially in Bokmål that allows feminine forms.

So you may see:

• ei lukt / lukta
• en lukt / lukten

Both can be correct, depending on style, dialect, and personal preference. Lukten is often perceived as a bit more neutral or standard in many contexts.

This sentence uses very basic Norwegian word order:

• Lukten = subject
• er = verb
• ekkel = subject complement / description

So it follows the same basic pattern as English:

• The smell is disgusting.

However, Norwegian is a V2 language, which means the verb normally stays in the second position in main clauses. So if you move something else to the front, the verb still comes second:

• I dag er lukten ekkel. = Today, the smell is disgusting.

That is a broader rule of Norwegian grammar, but in this simple sentence the order looks very familiar to an English speaker.

Yes, and that is a very common alternative.

There is a small difference in focus:

• Lukten er ekkel. = The smell is disgusting.
• Det lukter ekkelt. = It smells disgusting.

The second version is often used when talking about how something smells in general. The first version focuses more directly on the smell itself.

Also note the form ekkelt in Det lukter ekkelt. After verbs like lukte, Norwegian often uses the neuter/adverb-like form.

A rough guide is:

• Lukten → LUK-ten
• er → a short air/er sound, depending on dialect
• ekkel → EKK-el

A few useful pronunciation points:

• The stress is on the first syllable of lukten and ekkel.
• The double kk in ekkel means the vowel before it is short.
• The u in lukten is not exactly like English oo. It is a more rounded front vowel, which many English speakers find tricky at first.

A more IPA-style pronunciation is approximately:

[ˈlʉktən eːr ˈɛkːəl]

It is a noun meaning smell/odor, and in Bokmål it can be treated as masculine or feminine depending on the speaker or style.

That is why you may encounter forms like:

• en lukt / lukten
• ei lukt / lukta

For this sentence, the important thing is simply that lukten is a singular definite noun: the smell.