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Learn Hardcore Norwegian: De er redde for forbannelsen. - They are afraid of the curse.

Hardcore Norwegian
/Applying for a resident parking permit
/De er redde for forbannelsen.

De er redde for forbannelsen.

De er redde for forbannelsen.

They are afraid of the curse.

Breakdown of De er redde for forbannelsen.

Questions & Answers about De er redde for forbannelsen.

Why is it redde and not redd?

Because the subject De is plural.

The adjective’s basic form here is redd (afraid), but when it is used predicatively with a plural subject, Norwegian normally uses redde:

Han er redd. = He is afraid.
Hun er redd. = She is afraid.
De er redde. = They are afraid.

So redde agrees with the plural subject De.

Is redde a verb here?

No. Here, redde is an adjective, not a verb.

The sentence structure is:

De = subject
er = verb
redde = adjective describing the subject
for forbannelsen = prepositional phrase

This matters because there is also a verb å redde, which means to save. But in this sentence, redde clearly means afraid, because it comes after er and describes De.

Why is for used after redde?

forbannelsen

the curse

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Because Norwegian usually says redd for to mean afraid of.

So the pattern is:

være redd for noe = to be afraid of something
være redd for noen = to be afraid for someone / afraid of someone, depending on context

Examples:

Jeg er redd for hunden. = I am afraid of the dog.
Hun er redd for mørket. = She is afraid of the dark.

So redde for forbannelsen is the normal construction.

What form is forbannelsen?

Forbannelsen is the definite singular form of forbannelse.

Breakdown:

en forbannelse = a curse
forbannelsen = the curse

In Norwegian, the definite article is often added to the end of the noun as a suffix, instead of being a separate word like English the.

So English the curse becomes one word in Norwegian: forbannelsen.

Why is there no separate word for the?

Because Norwegian usually attaches the definite article to the noun.

Compare:

en bil = a car
bilen = the car
en forbannelse = a curse
forbannelsen = the curse

So in this sentence, forbannelsen already includes the meaning of the curse. You do not need a separate word for the.

Does De only mean they?

In this sentence, De means they.

However, De can also be a very formal way of saying you in older or very formal Norwegian. That usage is rare in modern everyday language.

Since this sentence starts with De, the capital D does not help us much, because the first word of a sentence is capitalized anyway. You understand it from context. In ordinary learning material, this sentence will almost always be read as They are afraid of the curse.

Is the word order normal?

Yes. This is standard Norwegian word order for a simple main clause:

De = subject
er = verb
redde = subject complement
for forbannelsen = prepositional phrase

So the pattern is basically:

Subject + verb + complement

This is very similar to English:

They + are + afraid of the curse

How would this change if the subject were singular?

Then the adjective would usually change from redde to redd.

Examples:

Han er redd for forbannelsen. = He is afraid of the curse.
Hun er redd for forbannelsen. = She is afraid of the curse.
Barnet er redd for forbannelsen. = The child is afraid of the curse.
De er redde for forbannelsen. = They are afraid of the curse.

So the important contrast is:

redd = singular
redde = plural

How is this sentence pronounced?

A careful approximate pronunciation is:

De er redde for forbannelsen
≈ di ær RED-de for for-BAN-ne-lsen

A few useful notes:

De is often pronounced like di
er is often pronounced like ær in many dialects / standard speech
redde has a clear dd sound
forbannelsen has the main stress on ban

Pronunciation varies by dialect, but that approximation will help you say it naturally.

Could I also say this with a different adjective or verb?

Yes, but the meaning or tone may shift a little.

For example:

De frykter forbannelsen. = They fear the curse.
De er redde for forbannelsen. = They are afraid of the curse.

Frykter sounds a little more direct or literary, while er redde for is a very common everyday way to express fear.

So the original sentence is natural and idiomatic.

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