Historien virker overbevisende.

the story

Breakdown of Historien virker overbevisende.

• virke: to seem
• overbevisende: convincing

Questions & Answers about Historien virker overbevisende.

Why is it historien and not historie?

Because historien is the definite singular form of historie.

• en historie = a story / a history
• historien = the story / the history

In Norwegian, the idea of the is often added as an ending on the noun, instead of as a separate word.

Can historien mean both the story and the history?

Yes. Historie in Norwegian can mean both story and history, and historien can therefore mean the story or the history.

Context usually makes it clear which meaning is intended.

For example:

• Historien om Norge = the history of Norway
• Han fortalte en morsom historie = he told a funny story

What does virker mean here?

Here, virker means something like seems, appears, or comes across as.

So the sentence is not making a hard factual claim. It is saying that the story gives the impression of being convincing.

Be careful: å virke can also mean to work / function in other contexts.

• Maskinen virker ikke = the machine isn’t working
• Historien virker overbevisende = the story seems convincing