Breakdown of Gamasjene dekker fjellstøvlene.
Questions & Answers about Gamasjene dekker fjellstøvlene.
Why do gamasjene and fjellstøvlene both end in -ene?
Because -ene is the usual definite plural ending for many en-words in Bokmål.
So here you have:
- en gamasje → gamasjer → gamasjene
- en fjellstøvel → fjellstøvler → fjellstøvlene
In English, you normally add a separate word, the.
In Norwegian, definiteness is usually built into the noun ending instead.
Why isn’t there a separate word for the in this sentence?
Because Norwegian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun:
- støvel = boot
- støvelen = the boot
- støvler = boots
- støvlene = the boots
So gamasjene already means the gaiters, and fjellstøvlene already means the mountain boots / hiking boots.
A separate determiner can appear when there is an adjective:
- de høye gamasjene = the tall gaiters
- de tunge fjellstøvlene = the heavy hiking boots
That is often called double definiteness.
What is the verb form dekker?
Dekker is the present tense of å dekke, which means to cover.
Examples:
- jeg dekker = I cover
- du dekker = you cover
- han dekker = he covers
- de dekker = they cover
Unlike English, Norwegian does not change the present-tense verb depending on the subject. The form dekker stays the same.
Why is fjellstøvlene written as one word?
Because Norwegian normally writes compound nouns as one word.
So:
- fjell = mountain
- støvel = boot
- fjellstøvel = mountain boot / hiking boot
Then the definite plural ending is added to the whole compound:
- fjellstøvler = mountain boots / hiking boots
- fjellstøvlene = the mountain boots / the hiking boots
This is very common in Norwegian. English often uses two words where Norwegian uses one.
What are the basic dictionary forms of these nouns?
Why are both nouns plural here?
Because gaiters and hiking boots are usually thought of as things that come in pairs.
So it is very natural to say:
- gamasjene = the gaiters
- fjellstøvlene = the hiking boots
If you were talking about just one of each, you could use the singular:
- Gamasjen dekker fjellstøvelen.
That is grammatically fine, but less likely in an ordinary real-world situation.
Is the word order normal here?
Yes. This is normal subject–verb–object word order:
- Gamasjene = subject
- dekker = verb
- fjellstøvlene = object
So the sentence structure is straightforward.
It also fits the general Norwegian V2 pattern, where the finite verb is in the second position in a main clause. Since the subject comes first here, the verb naturally comes right after it.
For example:
- I dag dekker gamasjene fjellstøvlene.
Here I dag is first, so the verb dekker still stays in second position.
Does dekke need a preposition here?
No. Å dekke can take a direct object.
So:
- dekke noe = cover something
That means fjellstøvlene can come directly after the verb, with no extra preposition.
Compare:
- Gamasjene dekker fjellstøvlene. = The gaiters cover the hiking boots.
This works much like English cover in cover the boots.
Could this sentence be translated more literally as The gaiters cover the mountain boots, even if the natural English meaning is hiking boots?
Yes. Literally, fjellstøvel is built from:
- fjell = mountain
- støvel = boot
So a very literal translation is mountain boot.
But in natural English, hiking boot is usually the better equivalent.
That kind of small difference is common with compound nouns: the parts are clear, but the most natural translation may use a different everyday expression in English.
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