Anklagen er alvorlig.

to be

Breakdown of Anklagen er alvorlig.

• alvorlig: serious
• anklagen: the accusation

Questions & Answers about Anklagen er alvorlig.

Why is it anklagen and not anklage?

Because anklagen is the definite singular form of the noun anklage.

• anklage = an accusation
• anklagen = the accusation

In Norwegian, the definite article is often added to the end of the noun as a suffix.

Why is there no separate word for the?

In Norwegian, the is usually built into the noun instead of standing alone before it.

So:

• en anklage = an accusation
• anklagen = the accusation

That -en ending is doing the job that the does in English.

What gender is anklage?

Anklage is a common gender noun in Bokmål.

Its basic forms are:

• en anklage = an accusation
• anklagen = the accusation
• anklager = accusations
• anklagene = the accusations

A native English speaker often wants to know this because gender affects articles and adjective patterns elsewhere in the language.

What does er mean here?