Eksen bor i byen.

to live

Breakdown of Eksen bor i byen.

• i: in
• byen: the city
• eksen: the ex-partner

Questions & Answers about Eksen bor i byen.

What does eksen mean exactly?

Eksen means the ex — usually the ex-partner, the ex-boyfriend, the ex-girlfriend, the ex-husband, the ex-wife, or just the ex in a general sense.

The base word is eks, which is borrowed from the same idea as English ex. In real life, the exact relationship usually has to be understood from context.

It is fairly common and natural in everyday speech.

Why is it eksen and not just eks?

Because -en is the definite ending here.

In Norwegian, instead of putting the in front of a noun, you usually add a definite ending to the noun itself.

So:

• en eks = an ex
• eksen = the ex

This is one of the biggest differences from English. Norwegian often builds the into the end of the word.

Why is it byen?

For the same reason: byen is the definite singular form of by.

• en by = a town / a city
• byen = the town / the city

So both nouns in the sentence are definite:

• eksen = the ex
• byen = the city / the town

Is masculine or feminine or neuter?