Breakdown of Matsoppen og giftsoppen holdes fra hverandre.
og
and
fra
from
holde
to keep
hverandre
each other
Questions & Answers about Matsoppen og giftsoppen holdes fra hverandre.
Why do matsoppen and giftsoppen end in -en?
Because -en is the definite ending for many Norwegian nouns of common gender.
- sopp = mushroom
- soppen = the mushroom
These are also compound nouns:
- matsopp = edible mushroom or literally food mushroom
- giftsopp = poisonous mushroom
When a compound becomes definite, the ending goes on the last part of the compound:
- matsopp → matsoppen
- giftsopp → giftsoppen
So the sentence is using definite forms: the edible mushroom and the poisonous mushroom.
What does gift mean here? Doesn’t gift mean something else in Norwegian?
Here, gift means poison.
That can confuse learners, because gift in Norwegian can also appear in other meanings in other contexts, such as married. But in giftsopp, it clearly means poison.
So:
- gift = poison
- giftig = poisonous
- giftsopp = poisonous mushroom
In this sentence, giftsoppen does not mean anything like the married mushroom—only the poisonous mushroom.
Why are the nouns singular? English would often use plurals here.