Forbannelsen er gammel.

to be

Breakdown of Forbannelsen er gammel.

• gammel: old
• forbannelsen: the curse

Questions & Answers about Forbannelsen er gammel.

Why does forbannelsen end in -en?

Because -en is the usual definite ending for many masculine nouns in Norwegian. It means the.

So:

• en forbannelse = a curse
• forbannelsen = the curse

Unlike English, Norwegian often puts the definite article at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word before it.

What gender is forbannelse?

Forbannelse is a masculine noun in Bokmål, so its basic form is:

• en forbannelse

That gives these common forms:

• en forbannelse = a curse
• forbannelsen = the curse
• forbannelser = curses
• forbannelsene = the curses

Why is there no separate word for the?

In Norwegian, the definite article is often attached to the noun as an ending.

So English:

• the curse

becomes Norwegian:

• forbannelsen

This is one of the big differences from English. The the idea is built into the noun itself.

Why is the sentence Forbannelsen er gammel and not something like Forbannelsen gammel er?