Broen er laget av stål.

The bridge is made of steel.

Breakdown of Broen er laget av stål.

• være: to be
• lage: to make
• av: of
• broen: the bridge

Questions & Answers about Broen er laget av stål.

Why is it broen and not just bro?

Bro means bridge in an indefinite sense: a bridge.

Broen is the definite form, meaning the bridge.

In Norwegian, definiteness is usually added as an ending:

• en bro = a bridge
• broen = the bridge

So Broen er laget av stål means The bridge is made of steel, not A bridge is made of steel.

Why does the appear as an ending in broen?

That is a normal feature of Norwegian grammar. Instead of usually putting a separate word like English the before the noun, Norwegian often attaches the definite article to the end of the noun.

For masculine nouns:

• en bil = a car
• bilen = the car

Here, bro is treated as masculine in this sentence, so:

• en bro
• broen

This is one of the first big differences English speakers notice in Norwegian.

Is bro always masculine?

Usually you will learn bro as masculine: en bro – broen.

However, in some varieties of Norwegian, especially depending on dialect or personal style, you may also see the feminine form:

• ei bro
• broa

So you may encounter both broen and broa. In Bokmål, broen is very common and completely correct.