Pianostemmeren begynner stemmingen.

The piano tuner begins the tuning.

Breakdown of Pianostemmeren begynner stemmingen.

• begynne: to begin
• pianostemmeren: the piano tuner
• stemmingen: the tuning

Questions & Answers about Pianostemmeren begynner stemmingen.

What does pianostemmeren break down into?

It is a compound noun:

• piano = piano
• stemmer = tuner / someone who tunes
• -en = the definite ending

So pianostemmeren literally means the piano-tuner, or more naturally in English, the piano tuner.

A useful thing to remember is that Norwegian loves compounds. The last part is usually the main word, and the earlier part describes it.

Why is it pianostemmeren and not den pianostemmer?

In Norwegian, definiteness is often shown by attaching an ending to the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

So:

• en pianostemmer = a piano tuner
• pianostemmeren = the piano tuner

You do not normally use den here unless there is something like an adjective:

• den dyktige pianostemmeren = the skilled piano tuner

Without an adjective, pianostemmeren by itself is the normal form.

What form is begynner?

Begynner is the present tense of å begynne = to begin / to start.

Examples:

• jeg begynner = I begin / I am beginning
• han begynner = he begins / he is beginning
• pianostemmeren begynner = the piano tuner begins / is beginning

In Norwegian, the present tense form is the same for all subjects, which is simpler than English.