Drivstoffet er dyrt.

The ending -et is the definite article for a neuter noun in Norwegian. So:

• drivstoff = fuel
• drivstoffet = the fuel

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

Yes. Drivstoff is a neuter noun, so its indefinite form is:

• et drivstoff = a fuel / a type of fuel

That is why the definite form becomes:

• drivstoffet = the fuel

In practice, drivstoff is often used like a mass noun, similar to fuel in English.

Because the adjective has to agree with the noun.

Here, drivstoffet is a singular neuter noun, so the adjective takes -t in predicative position:

• dyr = common gender singular
• dyrt = neuter singular
• dyre = plural

So:

• Bilen er dyr. = The car is expensive.
• Drivstoffet er dyrt. = The fuel is expensive.
• Bilene er dyre. = The cars are expensive.

Because in a simple sentence like this, drivstoffet by itself already means the fuel.

You would use det drivstoffet when you specifically mean that fuel or when you are pointing something out more explicitly.

Compare:

• Drivstoffet er dyrt. = The fuel is expensive.
• Det drivstoffet er dyrt. = That fuel is expensive.

So adding det changes the meaning.

In Norwegian, definiteness is usually shown by a suffix, not by a separate word like English the.

So instead of:

• the fuel

Norwegian says:

• drivstoffet

This is one of the biggest differences from English.

Er is the present tense of å være (to be).

So:

• er = is / are

In this sentence, it links the subject and the adjective:

• Drivstoffet = subject
• er = is
• dyrt = expensive

So the structure is basically:

• The fuel
  • is
    • expensive

No. Norwegian is simpler here.

Er stays the same with all subjects in the present tense:

• Jeg er = I am
• Du er = you are
• Han er = he is
• Vi er = we are

So you do not need different present forms like am, is, and are.

Yes. That would usually mean Fuel is expensive in a more general sense.

Compare:

• Drivstoff er dyrt. = fuel in general is expensive
• Drivstoffet er dyrt. = the fuel / this fuel is expensive

So the version with -et sounds more definite or specific.

No, this is the normal basic Norwegian sentence order:

• Subject + verb + complement

So:

• Drivstoffet = subject
• er = verb
• dyrt = complement

This is very similar to English:

• The fuel is expensive.

Yes. Dyr can also be a noun meaning animal.

So Norwegian learners sometimes notice this double meaning:

• et dyr = an animal
• dyr as an adjective = expensive

In Drivstoffet er dyrt, it is clearly the adjective expensive, because it comes after er and describes the fuel.

The hardest part for English speakers is usually the vowel y.

A rough guide:

• dyrt sounds something like deert said with rounded lips, but that is only an approximation.

A few points:

• y is a front rounded vowel, which English does not really have
• the final -t is pronounced
• r affects the sound slightly depending on accent

So the word may be challenging at first, but the important grammar point is that -t marks agreement with a neuter singular noun.

Because this sentence uses the adjective after the verb er. This is called predicative use.

Compare:

• dyrt drivstoff = expensive fuel
  adjective before the noun

• Drivstoffet er dyrt. = The fuel is expensive.
  adjective after er

So both patterns exist in Norwegian, just like in English.