Steinen er tung.

The stone is heavy.

Breakdown of Steinen er tung.

• være: to be
• tung: heavy
• steinen: the stone

Questions & Answers about Steinen er tung.

Why is steinen one word instead of the stone as two words?

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

• stein = stone
• steinen = the stone

For this noun, the definite ending is -en. This is very common in Norwegian.

Compare:

• en stein = a stone
• steinen = the stone

What gender is stein, and why does that matter?

Stein is a masculine noun in Bokmål.

That matters because noun gender affects:

• the indefinite article
• the definite ending
• adjective agreement

For stein, the usual forms are:

• en stein = indefinite singular
• steinen = definite singular

If a noun were neuter, the forms would look different, and the adjective might also change.

Why is it tung and not tungt?