Felgen er gammel.

to be

Breakdown of Felgen er gammel.

• gammel: old
• felgen: the wheel rim

Questions & Answers about Felgen er gammel.

What does the -en ending in felgen mean?

It marks the noun as definite singular: felgen = the rim.

In Norwegian, the definite article is often attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.

• en felg = a rim
• felgen = the rim

So this sentence uses a definite noun: the rim.

Why isn’t there a separate word for the?

Because Norwegian usually expresses definiteness by adding an ending to the noun.

With this noun:

• en felg = a rim
• felgen = the rim

That is a very common pattern in Norwegian. English uses a separate article (the), but Norwegian often uses a suffix instead.

A useful extra note:

• If you add an adjective before the noun, Norwegian often uses double definiteness:
  • den gamle felgen = the old rim

So in the original sentence, felgen already contains the idea of the.

Why is it er?