Mannen er oberst.

to be

Breakdown of Mannen er oberst.

• mannen: the man
• obersten: the colonel

Questions & Answers about Mannen er oberst.

Why is it mannen and not just mann?

Mann means man, while mannen means the man.

In Norwegian, the definite form of many masculine nouns is made by adding -en to the noun:

• en mann = a man
• mannen = the man

So Mannen er oberst means The man is a colonel.

Why does mann become mannen with a double n?

The base noun is already mann, with two ns. When Norwegian adds the definite ending -en, it becomes:

• mann
  • -en = mannen

So nothing unusual is happening beyond adding the definite ending to the full noun stem.

Why is there no word for a before oberst?

In Norwegian, after være (to be), nouns for professions, roles, nationality, and rank often appear without an article.

So Norwegian commonly says:

• Han er lærer = He is a teacher
• Hun er student = She is a student
• Mannen er oberst = The man is a colonel

This is more natural in Norwegian than always using en/ei/et.

Could I also say ?