Mannen blir voldelig.

Because mannen is the definite singular form of mann.

• mann = a man
• mannen = the man

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun as a suffix:

• en mann = a man
• mannen = the man

So mannen refers to a specific man, not just any man.

Blir is the present tense of the verb å bli.

Common forms of å bli:

• å bli = to become / to get
• blir = becomes / gets / is becoming
• ble = became
• har blitt = has become

In this sentence, blir shows what is happening now or what generally happens.

This is an important distinction.

• er voldelig = is violent
  This describes a state or characteristic.
• blir voldelig = becomes violent / gets violent
  This describes a change.

So blir suggests that the man was not violent before, or that he is entering that state now.

In this sentence, bli can often be understood as either become or get, depending on the context.

• Mannen blir voldelig can feel like:
  • The man becomes violent
  • The man gets violent
  • sometimes The man is becoming violent

English chooses different verbs depending on style, but Norwegian often uses bli for this kind of change of state.

Here voldelig is a predicate adjective, meaning it comes after a verb like å være or å bli and describes the subject.

In this position, adjectives often stay in their basic form when the subject is:

• singular
• indefinite in grammatical agreement

So:

• Mannen er voldelig
• Mannen blir voldelig

The adjective does not take the definite ending just because mannen is definite.

Compare this with an attributive adjective, where the adjective stands before the noun:

• en voldelig mann = a violent man
• den voldelige mannen = the violent man

So adjective agreement works differently depending on where the adjective appears in the sentence.

Usually it is a good match for violent, but like many adjectives, the exact nuance depends on context.

Voldelig is related to vold, which means violence. It usually describes someone or something involving physical aggression or violence.

Examples:

• en voldelig mann = a violent man
• voldelig oppførsel = violent behavior

So in this sentence, it strongly suggests actual aggression, not just anger.

Yes. Depending on context, Mannen blir voldelig can mean:

• The man becomes violent
• The man gets violent
• The man is becoming violent

Norwegian present tense often covers both simple present and present progressive ideas that English separates.

So without more context, blir can describe either:

• a repeated tendency, or
• a change happening now

The sentence has the standard Norwegian main-clause order:

• Mannen = subject
• blir = finite verb
• voldelig = complement

So the pattern is basically:

Subject + verb + complement

This is the normal order in a simple statement.

If another element comes first, Norwegian usually keeps the verb in second position:

• Nå blir mannen voldelig. = Now the man is becoming violent.
• Plutselig blir mannen voldelig. = Suddenly the man becomes violent.

This is part of the V2 word order rule in Norwegian main clauses.

You usually place ikke after the finite verb:

• Mannen blir ikke voldelig.

That means The man does not become violent / is not becoming violent.

So the pattern is:

subject + finite verb + ikke + rest

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker:

• blir sounds roughly like bleer, but with a Norwegian r
• voldelig sounds roughly like VOL-de-lig

A few notes:

• The r in Norwegian is usually clearer than in many English accents.
• The final -ig in many Norwegian words is often pronounced more like -i or a soft -ig, depending on dialect.
• Stress is usually on the first syllable: VOL-delig

Exact pronunciation varies by region, but that rough guide is enough to get started.

You would change blir to ble:

• Mannen ble voldelig.

That means The man became violent.

Other useful forms:

• Mannen har blitt voldelig. = The man has become violent.
• Mannen skal bli voldelig. = The man will become violent or is going to become violent, depending on context

So the main thing that changes is the form of å bli.