Biffen er varm.

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

• biff = steak
• biffen = the steak

So -en is the masculine singular definite ending here. English uses a separate word (the), but Norwegian often puts that meaning onto the noun itself.

-en means the for many singular nouns in Norwegian, especially masculine ones.

So:

• en biff = a steak
• biffen = the steak

This is a very common pattern in Norwegian.

Norwegian is simpler here than English. The verb å være = to be, and in the present tense it is always er, no matter who or what the subject is.

Examples:

• Jeg er varm. = I am warm.
• Du er varm. = You are warm.
• Biffen er varm. = The steak is warm.
• De er varme. = They are warm.

So unlike English, you do not need to memorize different present forms like am, is, and are.

This is because adjectives in Norwegian often change form depending on the noun.

Here, biffen is a singular masculine noun, so the basic adjective form is used:

• varm = used with many singular common-gender nouns

Other forms include:

• et varmt måltid = a warm meal
  (varmt because måltid is a neuter singular noun)
• varme biffer = warm steaks
  (varme in the plural)

So Biffen er varm is correct because biffen is singular and not neuter.

Yes, biff is normally treated as a masculine noun in Bokmål:

• en biff
• biffen

In Norwegian dictionaries, nouns are usually listed with their gender, so it is a good habit to learn the noun together with its article:

• en biff
• et hus
• ei bok / en bok depending on style and dialect

Learning the article with the noun helps you use the right endings later.

Yes. This is the standard word order for a simple statement:

subject + verb + adjective

So:

• Biffen = subject
• er = verb
• varm = adjective

This is very similar to English: The steak is warm.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation guide would be something like:

• Biffen ≈ BIFF-en
• er ≈ a short ehr sound
• varm ≈ varm, with a clear v and a rolled or tapped r in many accents

A few notes:

• ff in biffen means the f sound is short and crisp.
• The r in Norwegian is usually pronounced more clearly than in many kinds of English.
• Final consonants are pronounced clearly.

Exact pronunciation varies by region, but this is a good starting point.

Usually varm covers both warm and sometimes hot, depending on context.

So Biffen er varm can mean the steak is warm, or simply that it is heated and not cold. If you want to be more specific, context usually tells you how hot it is.

Norwegian often uses varm where English might choose either warm or hot.

Normally biff means steak, not beef in general.

So biffen most naturally means:

• the steak

If you want to talk about beef as meat in general, Norwegian would usually use another word, such as oksekjøtt.

So in most situations, Biffen er varm is understood as The steak is warm.

No. In a yes/no question, Norwegian usually puts the verb before the subject.

Statement:

• Biffen er varm. = The steak is warm.

Question:

• Er biffen varm? = Is the steak warm?

That verb-second / verb-first pattern is very important in Norwegian sentence structure.