Boken handler om verdenskrigen.

The book is about the world war.

Breakdown of Boken handler om verdenskrigen.

• boken: the book
• handle om: to be about
• verdenskrigen: the world war

Questions & Answers about Boken handler om verdenskrigen.

Why is it boken and not bok?

Because boken is the definite singular form of bok.

• bok = book / a book
• boken = the book

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word like the in English.

So:

• en bok = a book
• boken = the book

Why does book become boken with -en at the end?

The ending -en is a common definite ending in Norwegian nouns.

For many nouns, Norwegian forms the + noun by adding a suffix:

• en bil → bilen (the car)
• en mann → mannen (the man)
• en bok → boken (the book)

A useful thing to know here is that bok is often treated as a feminine noun too, so you may also see:

• boka = the book

Both boken and boka are correct in Bokmål.

Why is it handler om? Does handler mean handles?