Mission—Team—FAQ—Privacy—Terms—Sponsors—Grammar—Typing Course—Donate

© 2026 Elon Automation B.V.

Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Geværet er låst. - The rifle is locked.

Hardcore Norwegian
/Handling a personal-data breach
/Geværet er låst.

Geværet er låst.

Geværet er låst.

The rifle is locked.

Breakdown of Geværet er låst.

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Norwegian grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Norwegian now

Questions & Answers about Geværet er låst.

Why is it geværet and not just gevær?

Because geværet is the definite singular form: the rifle / the gun.

et gevær = a rifle / a gun
geværet = the rifle / the gun

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

What gender is gevær, and why does that matter here?

Gevær is a neuter noun in Norwegian.

That matters because neuter nouns often use:

et in the indefinite singular: et gevær
-et in the definite singular: geværet

It also affects agreement with adjectives and participle-like forms, which is why you see låst with -t.

Why does låst end in -t?

Because it agrees with a neuter singular noun.

Here, geværet is neuter singular, so the form is:

et gevær er låst

Compare:

Døren er låst = The door is locked
(dør is usually common gender, so no -t)
Vinduet er låst = The window is locked
(vindu is neuter, so låst)

So the -t is part of the normal agreement pattern.

Is låst an adjective or a past participle?

In this sentence, it behaves like a predicate adjective, but it comes from the verb å låse (to lock).

So you can think of låst as a past participle used adjectivally:

å låse = to lock
låst = locked

In Geværet er låst, the focus is usually on the state of the rifle: it is in a locked condition.

Why is it er låst and not blir låst?

Because er låst usually describes a state, while blir låst describes a change or an event.

Geværet er låst = the rifle is locked
(it is in that state)
Geværet blir låst = the rifle is getting locked / is being locked
(the action is happening)

This is a very common distinction in Norwegian:

er + participle/adjective = state
blir + participle = becomes / is being

Does Geværet er låst mean someone locked it?

Not directly. The sentence mainly tells you the resulting condition: the rifle is locked.

It may imply that someone locked it earlier, but the sentence itself does not focus on who did it or when. If you wanted to emphasize the action more clearly, Norwegian might use something like:

Noen har låst geværet. = Someone has locked the rifle.

Could this sentence also be understood as a passive?

Sometimes learners think of er låst as a passive because English uses is locked, which can look passive. But in Norwegian, this kind of sentence is often best understood as describing a state.

So while there is a historical link to the participle of a verb, in everyday grammar it is often more natural to treat er låst as is in a locked state.

If you want a clearer passive/event meaning, Norwegian often uses:

Geværet blir låst. = The rifle is being locked / gets locked
Geværet låses. = The rifle is being locked / gets locked

Can gevær mean both rifle and gun?

Yes, depending on context.

More specifically, gevær usually refers to a rifle or long gun, but in some translations learners may see gun as a broader English equivalent. The exact best translation depends on context.

So if you are learning vocabulary, it is safest to remember:

gevær = usually rifle

What is the basic dictionary form of the word låst?

The verb is å låse (to lock).

Useful related forms:

å låse = to lock
låser = locks / is locking
låste = locked
har låst = have/has locked
låst = locked

So låst is the form used here after er.

How is Geværet er låst pronounced?

A simple learner-friendly approximation is:

geh-VAIR-et er lost

A few pronunciation notes:

æ in geværet is a front vowel, somewhat like the a in some pronunciations of cat, but not exactly the same.
geværet has the stress on the væ syllable.
låst has a long å sound, somewhat like the vowel in British law, though not identical.

You do not need perfect pronunciation at first; the most important thing is getting the stress in geVÆret roughly right.

Could I say Et gevær er låst instead?

Yes, but it changes the meaning.

Geværet er låst = The rifle is locked
Et gevær er låst = A rifle is locked

So the original sentence refers to a specific rifle, not just any rifle.

What would the plural version be?

The plural would be:

Geværene er låst. = The rifles are locked

Notice two things:

geværene is the definite plural form of gevær
låst does not change here

That may seem surprising if you expect a separate plural ending on the adjective, but with this kind of past-participle form, låst stays the same in plural predicate use.

Can the word order change in another kind of sentence?

Yes. In a main statement, Norwegian normally uses:

Geværet er låst.

But in a yes/no question, the verb comes first:

Er geværet låst? = Is the rifle locked?

And in a subordinate clause, the word order changes too:

Jeg vet at geværet er låst. = I know that the rifle is locked.

So this sentence is a good example of normal main-clause word order: subject + verb + complement.

Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io