Leddet gjør vondt.

to hurt

Breakdown of Leddet gjør vondt.

• leddet: the joint

Questions & Answers about Leddet gjør vondt.

What does leddet mean, and why does it end in -et?

Leddet is the definite form of ledd, which here means joint.

• et ledd = a joint
• leddet = the joint

The ending -et is the definite article suffix for many neuter nouns in Norwegian. So instead of putting a separate word before the noun, Norwegian often adds the article to the end.

Why is there no separate word for the before leddet?

Because Norwegian usually puts the definite article onto the noun itself.

So:

• et ledd = a joint
• leddet = the joint

This is very common in Norwegian. English uses a separate word (the), but Norwegian often uses a suffix instead.

Why does Norwegian say gjør vondt instead of using a single verb like hurts?

Gjøre vondt is a very common Norwegian expression meaning to hurt.

Literally, gjør vondt is something like does pain or makes pain, but you should treat it as a fixed idiomatic expression:

• Det gjør vondt. = It hurts.
• Leddet gjør vondt. = The joint hurts.

So even though English often uses the single verb hurt, Norwegian very often uses gjøre vondt.