Planen er absurd.

The plan is absurd.

Breakdown of Planen er absurd.

• være: to be
• planen: the plan
• absurd: absurd

Questions & Answers about Planen er absurd.

What does the -en in planen mean?

The -en is the definite singular ending on the noun plan.

• en plan = a plan
• planen = the plan

This is very common in Norwegian: instead of putting the before the noun, Norwegian usually adds the definiteness to the end of the noun.

Other examples:

• en bil → bilen = the car
• en idé → idéen / ideen = the idea

So planen is not a different word from plan; it is the definite form of the same noun.

Why is there no separate word for the?

Because Norwegian normally expresses the by attaching an ending to the noun.

In English:

• the plan

In Norwegian:

• planen

This is one of the biggest structural differences from English. English uses a separate article, but Norwegian often uses a suffix.

A learner should get used to these pairs:

• en bok / boka eller boken = a book / the book
• et hus / huset = a house / the house
• en plan / planen = a plan / the plan

Why is it er here?