Reisemålet er Bergen.

The travel destination is Bergen.

Breakdown of Reisemålet er Bergen.

• være: to be
• Bergen: Bergen
• reisemålet: the travel destination

Questions & Answers about Reisemålet er Bergen.

Why does reisemål become reisemålet here?

Because -et is the definite article for many Norwegian neuter nouns.

• et reisemål = a destination
• reisemålet = the destination

So Reisemålet er Bergen literally means The destination is Bergen.

This is different from English, where the is a separate word. In Norwegian, the definite article is often added to the end of the noun.

Is reisemål one word because Norwegian likes compound nouns?

Yes. Norwegian very often combines words into a single noun.

Here:

• reise = travel / trip
• mål = goal / destination

Together, reisemål means travel destination or simply destination.

This is very common in Norwegian. English often uses two words where Norwegian uses one compound word.

Why is it et reisemål and not en reisemål?

Because reisemål is a neuter noun in Norwegian, so it takes et in the indefinite singular.

• et reisemål = a destination
• reisemålet = the destination

In Norwegian, nouns have grammatical gender, and that affects articles and endings.

Why is the sentence order Reisemålet er Bergen and not something else?