Sykkelslangen er ødelagt.

It marks the noun as definite singular, so sykkelslangen means the bicycle inner tube. In Norwegian, the idea of the is often added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.

Compare:

• en sykkelslange = a bicycle inner tube
• sykkelslangen = the bicycle inner tube

Yes, slange can mean snake, but it can also mean hose or tube, depending on context. In sykkelslange, it refers to the tube meaning, not an actual snake.

This is common in Norwegian: one word can have several related meanings, and the compound usually makes the intended meaning clear.

Er is the present tense of å være and means is. In this sentence, it describes the current state of the tube: it is broken.

So Sykkelslangen er ødelagt describes a condition, not the action that caused it.

For comparison:

• Sykkelslangen er ødelagt = the tube is broken
• Sykkelslangen ble ødelagt = the tube got/became broken
• Jeg ødela sykkelslangen = I broke the tube

Ødelagt is used here as an adjective, meaning broken, damaged, or ruined. It comes from the verb å ødelegge, which means to destroy, to damage, or to ruin.

In this sentence, it comes after er, so it is a predicate adjective:

• Sykkelslangen er ødelagt = the tube is broken

You can also use it before a noun:

• en ødelagt sykkelslange = a broken bicycle inner tube

This is simply the correct singular form used here. With ødelagt, the singular form stays the same in sentences like this, whether the noun is an en noun or an et noun.

Examples:

• Sykkelslangen er ødelagt
• Hjulet er ødelagt

But in the plural, it changes:

• Sykkelslangene er ødelagte
• Hjulene er ødelagte

So the main change to watch for is singular ødelagt versus plural ødelagte.

Yes. Sykkelslangen er i stykker is also a very natural way to say that it is broken. In everyday speech, i stykker is extremely common.

A rough difference is:

• ødelagt = damaged, ruined, broken
• i stykker = broken, in pieces, not functioning

In many situations, both work well.

It follows a basic Norwegian statement pattern:

subject + verb + complement

So:

• Sykkelslangen = subject
• er = verb
• ødelagt = complement

If you turn it into a yes/no question, the verb comes first:

• Er sykkelslangen ødelagt? = Is the bicycle inner tube broken?

A rough English-style guide would be:

SÜK-kel-slang-en er Ø-de-lakt

A few important sounds:

• y in sykkel has no exact English equivalent; it is similar to German ü
• ng in slangen sounds like ng in sing
• ø in ødelagt also has no exact English equivalent; it is a rounded front vowel, a bit like the vowel in French peu

The exact pronunciation varies by dialect, but those are the main sounds a learner usually needs to notice.