Båten følger flåten.

The boat follows the fleet.

Breakdown of Båten følger flåten.

• følge: to follow
• båten: the boat
• flåten: the fleet

Questions & Answers about Båten følger flåten.

Why do båten and flåten end in -en?

Because they are in the definite singular form: the boat and the raft.

For many Norwegian nouns, you show the by adding an ending to the noun instead of using a separate word.

• en båt = a boat

• båten = the boat

• en flåte = a raft
• flåten = the raft

So -en here is basically the definite ending for these nouns.

What are the dictionary forms of the words in this sentence?

The basic forms are:

• båt = boat
• flåte = raft
• følge = to follow

In the sentence, they appear as:

• båten = the boat
• følger = follows / is following
• flåten = the raft

So if you were looking them up, you would usually search for båt, flåte, and følge.

What tense is følger?

Følger is the present tense of å følge.

• å følge = to follow
• følger = follow / follows / is following

Norwegian often uses the simple present where English might use either:

• The boat follows the raft
• The boat is following the raft

Both can match Båten følger flåten, depending on context.