Ulven er sulten.

Because ulven is the definite singular form, meaning the wolf.

• ulv = a wolf
• ulven = the wolf

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

For masculine nouns like ulv, the ending is often -en:

• en ulv = a wolf
• ulven = the wolf

In Norwegian, the is often built into the noun itself.

So instead of saying something like the wolf with a separate article, Norwegian usually says:

• ulven = the wolf

This is one of the biggest differences from English. The noun carries the definiteness.

Er means is / am / are in the present tense of the verb å være (to be).

So:

• jeg er = I am
• du er = you are
• ulven er = the wolf is

Norwegian verbs are much simpler than English in this way, because the verb form usually does not change depending on the subject:

• jeg er
• du er
• han er
• de er

They all use er.

Sulten agrees with the noun it describes.

Here, ulven is:

• singular
• masculine (or common gender in modern Norwegian grammar)

So the adjective form is sulten.

Compare:

• en ulv er sulten = a wolf is hungry
• et barn er sultent = a child is hungry
• ulvene er sultne = the wolves are hungry

So:

• -en often goes with singular en-words
• -ent often goes with singular et-words
• -ne often goes with plural or definite descriptive use in some contexts

Yes. Sulten is an adjective meaning hungry.

In this sentence, it comes after er, so it works like a predicate adjective, just as in English:

• The wolf is hungry.

It describes the subject rather than coming directly before the noun.

Compare:

• Ulven er sulten. = The wolf is hungry.
• en sulten ulv = a hungry wolf

Yes. En ulv er sulten is grammatically correct and means A wolf is hungry.

The difference is:

• Ulven er sulten. = The wolf is hungry.
• En ulv er sulten. = A wolf is hungry.

So the choice depends on whether you mean a specific wolf or a wolf in general.

A rough guide for an English speaker is:

• Ulven ≈ UHL-ven
• er ≈ a short soft air sound, though this varies by dialect
• sulten ≈ SUHL-ten

A few helpful notes:

• The u in ulv and sulten is not exactly like English oo or uh. It is a Norwegian vowel that may take practice.
• The r in er is often lightly pronounced, and pronunciation can vary a lot by dialect.
• The e in endings like -en is often a relaxed sound, similar to uh.

If you want a simple learner-friendly approximation, UHL-ven er SUHL-ten is a decent start.

The word order is very standard:

• Ulven = subject
• er = verb
• sulten = description

So the pattern is:

Subject + verb + adjective

This is the same basic order as English:

• The wolf is hungry.

Yes, if something else comes first in the sentence, Norwegian usually puts the verb in the second position.

For example:

• I dag er ulven sulten. = Today, the wolf is hungry.

Notice that er still comes early, because Norwegian follows a verb-second pattern in main clauses.

But in the basic sentence Ulven er sulten, the straightforward subject-verb order is used.

Traditionally, ulv is a masculine noun:

• en ulv
• ulven

In modern Bokmål, people often talk about common gender instead of strictly masculine/feminine for many nouns, but for learners it is enough to remember that ulv takes en.

Yes. Sulten is used for both animals and people.

Examples:

• Jeg er sulten. = I am hungry.
• Barnet er sultent. = The child is hungry.
• Hunden er sulten. = The dog is hungry.

So sulten is a normal everyday adjective, not something used only for animals.

That would be:

Ulvene er sultne.

Breakdown:

• ulv = wolf
• ulver = wolves
• ulvene = the wolves
• sultne = hungry, plural form

So:

• Ulven er sulten. = The wolf is hungry.
• Ulvene er sultne. = The wolves are hungry.

This sentence is standard Bokmål.

In Nynorsk, you would more typically see:

• Ulven er svolten.

That said, vocabulary and forms can vary, and learners usually meet Ulven er sulten as straightforward Bokmål.