Sykkelslangen er ødelagt.

to be

Breakdown of Sykkelslangen er ødelagt.

• ødelagt: damaged
• sykkelslangen: the bicycle inner tube

Questions & Answers about Sykkelslangen er ødelagt.

Why is sykkelslangen written as one word?

Because Norwegian normally writes compound nouns as a single word. Here, sykkel + slange becomes sykkelslange. The first part describes the second part, so the whole word means a kind of slange related to a bicycle.

What does the ending -en in sykkelslangen mean?

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

Does slange really mean snake?

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.

Is sykkelslange the tire, or the inner tube?

Usually it means the inner tube, not the outer tire. The outer tire is normally dekk. So this sentence is specifically about the tube being damaged.