Stålet er sterkt.

to be

Breakdown of Stålet er sterkt.

• sterk: strong
• stålet: the steel

Questions & Answers about Stålet er sterkt.

Why does stål become stålet here?

Because -et is the definite ending for many neuter nouns in Norwegian.

• et stål = a steel / steel (indefinite form, though this is not always the most natural way to use the word)
• stålet = the steel (definite form)

So stålet means the steel.

Norwegian often puts the definite article at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

Why is it sterkt and not sterk?

Because the adjective agrees with the noun.

Stål is a neuter noun, and when an adjective describes a singular neuter noun after a verb like er (is), the adjective usually takes -t:

• en sterk mann = a strong man
• ei/en sterk kvinne = a strong woman
• et sterkt materiale = a strong material

So:

• Stålet er sterkt. = The steel is strong.

This is called adjective agreement.

How do I know that stål is neuter?