Feilen var idiotisk.

to be

Breakdown of Feilen var idiotisk.

• feilen: the mistake
• idiotisk: idiotic

Questions & Answers about Feilen var idiotisk.

Why is it feilen and not just feil?

Because feilen is the definite singular form: the mistake / the error.

The noun works like this:

• feil = error, mistake
• en feil = a mistake
• feilen = the mistake

So the sentence is talking about a specific mistake, not just mistakes in general.

Is feilen singular or plural?

It is singular.

This is a good word to watch out for, because the forms can look confusing:

• en feil = a mistake
• feilen = the mistake
• feil = mistakes / errors (plural indefinite)
• feilene = the mistakes / the errors

So feil can be either the basic dictionary form or the plural indefinite form, depending on context.

Why is the verb var used here?

Var is the past tense of å være (to be).

Useful forms:

• å være = to be
• er = is / am / are
• var = was / were
• har vært = has/have been

So Feilen var idiotisk is in the past: the mistake was idiotic.

Why does the adjective stay idiotisk? Shouldn’t it change?