Kursen går nordover.

The course goes north.

Breakdown of Kursen går nordover.

• gå: to go
• nordover: northward
• kursen: the course (direction)

Questions & Answers about Kursen går nordover.

Why is there no separate word for the in kursen?

Because Norwegian usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of putting it in front.

So:

• kurs = course / heading
• kursen = the course / the heading

In this sentence, -en is the definite ending.

Why is it kursen with -en?

Here, kurs is being used with the definite ending -en, so kursen means the course / the heading.

A learner may notice that Norwegian nouns can vary by gender and sometimes by meaning or usage, but in this sentence the form you need is simply kursen. The important point is that the noun is definite.

Does kurs mean a school course here?

Probably not. Kurs can mean a class, training course, or course of study, but it can also mean a course, heading, or direction.

Because the sentence says går nordover, the natural meaning here is about direction/heading, not a school class. So the context tells you which meaning is intended.

Why is the verb går used here? Doesn’t it literally mean walks?