Questions & Answers about Landsbyen velger høvdingen.
Because -en is the usual definite singular ending for many Norwegian masculine nouns.
- landsby = village
- landsbyen = the village
- høvding = chieftain / chief
- høvdingen = the chieftain / the chief
Unlike English, Norwegian often adds definiteness directly to the noun instead of using a separate word like the.
So this sentence uses two definite nouns:
- landsbyen = the village
- høvdingen = the chieftain
In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun.
So instead of saying:
- the village
- the chieftain
Norwegian says:
- landsby + en → landsbyen
- høvding + en → høvdingen
This is one of the first big differences English speakers notice. In many simple noun phrases, the ending does the job that the does in English.