Overraskelsesfesten er hemmelig.

to be

Breakdown of Overraskelsesfesten er hemmelig.

• hemmelig: secret
• overraskelsesfesten: the surprise party

Questions & Answers about Overraskelsesfesten er hemmelig.

Why is the attached to the noun in overraskelsesfesten instead of being a separate word?

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun.

• en fest = a party
• festen = the party

So:

• overraskelsesfest = surprise party
• overraskelsesfesten = the surprise party

This is very normal in Norwegian. English uses a separate word (the), but Norwegian often uses an ending instead.

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How is overraskelsesfesten built up?

It is a compound noun made of:

• overraskelse = surprise
• fest = party
• -en = definite ending for a common-gender singular noun

So the full word means literally:

• surprise + party + the

That gives the surprise party.

Norwegian very often combines words into one long noun, much more than English does.

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Why is there an -s- in overraskelsesfesten?