Merkelappen er på plagget.

to be

Breakdown of Merkelappen er på plagget.

• på: on
• plagget: the garment
• merkelappen: the label

Questions & Answers about Merkelappen er på plagget.

Why is there no separate word for the in Merkelappen and plagget?

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word before it.

• merkelapp = label / tag
• merkelappen = the label / the tag
• plagg = garment
• plagget = the garment

So:

• -en is a common definite ending
• -et is a neuter definite ending

This is one of the biggest differences from English.

What are the dictionary forms and genders of these nouns?

The dictionary forms are:

• en merkelapp = a label / a tag
• et plagg = a garment

Their genders are:

• merkelapp: common gender
• plagg: neuter

That is why the definite forms are different:

• merkelapp → merkelappen
• plagg → plagget

Why are both nouns definite here?