Fisken er rå.

Because fisken is the definite form: the fish.

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun as a suffix.

• en fisk = a fish
• fisken = the fish

So Fisken er rå literally means The fish is raw.

The base form is fisk, meaning fish.

A common pattern for a masculine/common-gender noun is:

• en fisk = a fish
• fisken = the fish

So here:

• noun stem: fisk
• definite ending: -en

Because Norwegian usually expresses the by attaching an ending to the noun instead of using a separate word before it.

Compare:

• English: the fish
• Norwegian: fisken

This is one of the biggest differences from English grammar.

Er means is / am / are, depending on the subject.

It is the present tense of å være (to be).

Examples:

• Jeg er = I am
• Du er = you are
• Fisken er rå = the fish is raw

Unlike English, Norwegian uses er for all persons in the present tense.

Because rå is a predicate adjective here — it comes after the verb er and describes the subject.

Structure:

• Fisken = subject
• er = verb
• rå = adjective describing the subject

This is similar to English:

• The fish is raw
• Fisken er rå

Because the form of the adjective depends on the noun it describes.

Fisk is normally a common-gender noun (en fisk), so the adjective stays in its basic form:

• Fisken er rå = The fish is raw

If the noun were neuter (et noun), you would often get -tt:

• Et eple er rått = An apple is raw

So rå is correct because fisk is not a neuter noun here.

Not always. Rå can have several meanings depending on context, such as:

• raw / uncooked
• harsh
• rough
• sometimes even cool / awesome in informal use

But in Fisken er rå, the natural meaning is raw.

In modern Norwegian, fisk is normally treated as a common-gender noun:

• en fisk
• fisken

In Bokmål, many nouns are either:

• common gender (en)
• neuter (et)

Historically people may talk about masculine/feminine, but for a learner it is easiest to remember:

• fisk takes en
• therefore: en fisk, fisken

A simple learner-friendly approximation is:

FISS-ken er roh

A few notes:

• fisken: the i is short, like in bit
• sk before e is pronounced like sh
• rå has the letter å, usually pronounced like a long aw/o sound

So fisken sounds roughly like FISH-ken, though the exact vowel is Norwegian, not exactly English.

Yes. Just like English fish, Norwegian fisk/fisken can refer to:

• the animal
• fish as food

So Fisken er rå could mean:

• the fish (animal) is raw, or
• the fish (food) is raw

Usually the context tells you which meaning is intended.

Yes, but Fisken er rå is the normal basic order for a statement:

• subject + verb + adjective

If you start with another element, Norwegian still keeps the verb in second position:

• I dag er fisken rå = Today the fish is raw

That is a broader Norwegian rule called V2 word order, but in your sentence the normal straightforward order is used.

Yes, but it means something slightly different.

• Fisken er rå = The fish is raw
• Den fisken er rå = That fish is raw / That particular fish is raw

Adding den points to a specific fish more explicitly.

So for the simple idea the fish is raw, Fisken er rå is the most natural sentence.

This exact sentence works in Bokmål.

In Nynorsk, you would more commonly write:

• Fisken er rå.

So in this case, the sentence looks the same in both written standards.