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Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Kunnskapen er viktig. - Knowledge is important.

Hardcore Norwegian
/Taking an improvisation class
/Kunnskapen er viktig.

Kunnskapen er viktig.

Word

Kunnskapen er viktig.

Meaning

Knowledge is important.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Norwegian

Lesson

Taking an improvisation class

Breakdown of Kunnskapen er viktig.

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Questions & Answers about Kunnskapen er viktig.

Why is it kunnskapen and not kunnskap?

Because kunnskapen is the definite singular form of the noun, meaning the knowledge.

kunnskap = knowledge
kunnskapen = the knowledge

In Norwegian, definiteness is often added as an ending to the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

What gender is kunnskap, and does that matter here?

Kunnskap is usually treated as a masculine noun in Bokmål.

Its forms are typically:

en kunnskap = a piece of knowledge / a knowledge
kunnskapen = the knowledge

That said, kunnskap is often used more like an uncountable noun, similar to English knowledge, so you will usually see it without en in many contexts. In this sentence, the important thing is that the definite form becomes kunnskapen.

Why is there no separate word for the?

Because Norwegian usually puts definiteness on the noun itself.

So instead of:

the knowledge

Norwegian often says:

kunnskapen

This is very common in Norwegian:

boken = the book
bilen = the car
jenta = the girl

So -en here is doing the job that the does in English.

Why is the verb er used here?

Er is the present tense of å være (to be).

So:

er = is / am / are

In Kunnskapen er viktig, the sentence is simply linking the subject to a description:

The knowledge is important

This is a basic subject + verb + adjective structure.

Why is it viktig and not some other form like viktige?

Because viktig is the correct adjective form here for a singular noun in this kind of sentence.

Compare:

Kunnskapen er viktig = The knowledge is important
Bøkene er viktige = The books are important

In predicate position, after er, adjectives still agree in number where needed. Since kunnskapen is singular, viktig is correct.

What kind of sentence structure is this?

It follows a very common Norwegian pattern:

Subject + verb + adjective

Here:

Kunnskapen = subject
er = verb
viktig = adjective

This is the same kind of structure as:

Huset er stort = The house is big
Maten er god = The food is good

Can I also say Kunnskap er viktig?

Yes, but it means something slightly different.

Kunnskap er viktig = Knowledge is important
Kunnskapen er viktig = The knowledge is important

The first is a general statement about knowledge as a concept. The second points to specific knowledge, or knowledge already known from the context.

Is kunnskap a countable noun?

Usually, it behaves a lot like English knowledge, so it is often treated as something uncountable in everyday use.

That means:

Kunnskap er viktig sounds very natural.
En kunnskap is grammatically possible, but much less common in ordinary usage.

So learners will most often meet kunnskap in broader or abstract uses rather than as a clearly countable noun.

How do you pronounce kunnskapen?

A rough pronunciation guide is:

KUNN-skah-pen

A few notes:

The u in kunn- is short.
The sk before a is pronounced like a normal sk, not like English sh.
The ending -en is the definite ending.

Pronunciation varies somewhat by dialect, but that rough version is a good start.

Why doesn’t Norwegian use det here, like Det er viktig?

Because kunnskapen is already the subject of the sentence.

So:

Kunnskapen er viktig = The knowledge is important

But Det er viktig means:

It is important

That is a different sentence structure. Det is used when it is the subject, but here the subject is directly named: kunnskapen.

Could the word order be changed?

Yes, but only in certain situations.

The normal neutral order is:

Kunnskapen er viktig

If you move something else to the front, Norwegian usually keeps the verb in second position:

Derfor er kunnskapen viktig = Therefore, the knowledge is important

But in a simple statement like this, Kunnskapen er viktig is the standard and most natural order.

Is this sentence in Bokmål or Nynorsk?

This is Bokmål.

In Nynorsk, you would more likely see:

Kunnskapen er viktig

This particular sentence actually looks the same in both standards, so without more context, it works for both.

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