Han holder skjoldet.

He holds the shield.

Breakdown of Han holder skjoldet.

• han: he
• holde: to hold
• skjoldet: the shield

Questions & Answers about Han holder skjoldet.

Why is it holder and not holde?

Holder is the present tense form of the verb å holde (to hold).

• å holde = infinitive, like to hold
• holder = present tense, like holds / is holding

So:

• Han holder skjoldet = He is holding the shield / He holds the shield

In Norwegian, the present tense is often made by adding -r to the infinitive:

• å komme → kommer
• å lese → leser
• å holde → holder

Why does skjoldet end in -et?

The -et ending shows that the noun is definite: the shield, not just a shield.

The basic noun is:

• et skjold = a shield

When a neuter noun becomes definite, Norwegian usually adds -et:

• et skjold = a shield
• skjoldet = the shield

This is one of the biggest differences from English: Norwegian often puts the at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word.

How do I know that skjold is a neuter noun?