Breakdown of Sorteringen av kleshaugen er ferdig.
være
to be
av
of
ferdig
finished
kleshaugen
the pile of clothes
Questions & Answers about Sorteringen av kleshaugen er ferdig.
What does sorteringen mean, and how is it formed?
Sorteringen is a noun meaning the sorting.
It comes from the verb å sortere = to sort.
Norwegian often makes action nouns from verbs with -ing:
- å sortere → sortering = sorting
- sortering
- -en → sorteringen = the sorting
So this is not a verb form. It is a noun referring to the activity or process.
Why is it sorteringen and not just sortering?
Because Norwegian is treating it as a specific, known sorting process.
- sortering = sorting in a general sense
- sorteringen = the sorting, a particular sorting
In this sentence, we are not talking about sorting in general. We mean the specific task of sorting that clothes pile, so the definite form is natural.
What does av mean here?
Here av works like of in English.
So:
- sorteringen av kleshaugen = the sorting of the clothes pile
It connects the action noun sorteringen to what is being sorted.
This is very common in Norwegian when a verb has been turned into a noun:
- vaskingen av bilen = the washing of the car
- reparasjonen av sykkelen = the repair of the bike