Bygningen er svær.

The building is huge.

Breakdown of Bygningen er svær.

• være: to be
• bygningen: the building
• svær: huge

Questions & Answers about Bygningen er svær.

Why does bygningen end in -en?

Because Norwegian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun.

• bygning = building
• bygningen = the building

So -en here is the definite ending for a singular common-gender noun.

What is the base form of bygningen?

The base form is bygning.

A useful mini-paradigm is:

• en bygning = a building
• bygningen = the building
• bygninger = buildings
• bygningene = the buildings

This is a very common pattern in Bokmål.

Why is there no separate word for the?

Because in Norwegian, definiteness is often built into the noun itself instead of being a separate word before it.

English says:

• the building

Norwegian often says:

• bygningen

The ending -en already carries the meaning of the.

Why is the word order Bygningen er svær and not something else?