Oppgaven er ikke meningsløs.

to be

Breakdown of Oppgaven er ikke meningsløs.

• ikke: not
• oppgaven: the task
• meningsløs: meaningless

Questions & Answers about Oppgaven er ikke meningsløs.

What does oppgaven mean, and why does it end in -en?

Oppgaven is the definite singular form of oppgave.

• en oppgave = a task / an assignment / an exercise
• oppgaven = the task / the assignment / the exercise

In Norwegian, definiteness is usually shown by adding an ending to the noun, instead of using a separate word like the in English. So the -en in oppgaven is doing the job of the.

Why is there no separate word for the before oppgaven?

Because Norwegian usually puts definiteness on the noun itself.

So instead of saying something like the task, Norwegian says oppgaven.

This is one of the biggest structural differences from English:

• a task = en oppgave
• the task = oppgaven

You only add an extra demonstrative like den if you mean something more like that task or if a particular structure requires it.

Why is ikke placed after er?