Førstebetjenten undersøker saken.

to investigate; examine

Breakdown of Førstebetjenten undersøker saken.

• saken: the case; matter being discussed
• førstebetjenten: the police chief inspector

Questions & Answers about Førstebetjenten undersøker saken.

Why is førstebetjent written as one word?

Because Norwegian usually writes compound nouns as a single word.
So første + betjent become førstebetjent.

This is very common in Norwegian. English often uses two words where Norwegian uses one:

• police officer
• train station
• school bus

In Norwegian, equivalent compounds are often written together.

What does the -en in førstebetjenten mean?

The -en is the definite singular ending, so it works a lot like the in English.

Compare:

• en førstebetjent = a first officer / an officer
• førstebetjenten = the first officer / the officer

Norwegian often adds definiteness to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word before it.

Why is there no separate word for the before førstebetjenten or saken?

Because Norwegian commonly expresses definiteness with a suffix on the noun.

So:

• førstebetjenten already means the førstebetjent
• saken already means the case

A separate word like den is not normally used here. You usually only get den together with a definite noun when there is an adjective or similar modifier:

• den erfarne førstebetjenten = the experienced officer