Trykknappen er ødelagt.

to be

Breakdown of Trykknappen er ødelagt.

• ødelagt: damaged
• trykknappen: the snap fastener

Questions & Answers about Trykknappen er ødelagt.

Why is trykknappen written as one word?

Because Norwegian usually writes compound nouns as one word.

• trykk = press / push
• knapp = button

So trykknapp means push button, and trykknappen means the push button.

This is very common in Norwegian. Where English often uses two words, Norwegian often makes a compound:

• togstasjon = train station
• dørhåndtak = door handle
• lysbryter = light switch

What does the -en at the end of trykknappen mean?

The ending -en marks the noun as definite singular: the.

So:

• en trykknapp = a push button
• trykknappen = the push button

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

Why isn’t it den trykknappen?