Vi sikkerhetskopierer arkivkopien.

we

Breakdown of Vi sikkerhetskopierer arkivkopien.

• arkivkopien: the archival copy
• sikkerhetskopiere: to back up

Questions & Answers about Vi sikkerhetskopierer arkivkopien.

Why is there no word for are in this sentence?

Because Norwegian often uses the simple present where English can use either:

• We back up the archive copy
• We are backing up the archive copy

So Vi sikkerhetskopierer arkivkopien can cover both meanings, depending on context.

What is the base form of sikkerhetskopierer?

The base form is å sikkerhetskopiere, meaning to back up.

In the sentence, sikkerhetskopierer is the present tense form.
A useful pattern is:

• å kopiere → kopierer
• å reparere → reparerer
• å sikkerhetskopiere → sikkerhetskopierer

So here, the verb is already conjugated, which is why you do not use å.

Why is sikkerhetskopierer such a long word?

Because Norwegian very often builds compound words.

Here, the verb is built from the noun sikkerhetskopi and a verb ending:

• sikkerhet = safety / security
• kopi = copy
• sikkerhetskopi = backup copy
• å sikkerhetskopiere = to back up

So although it looks intimidating, it is really a compound built from smaller parts.

Why is arkivkopien written as one word?