Pysen er redd.

to be

Breakdown of Pysen er redd.

• redd: afraid
• pysen: the wimp

Questions & Answers about Pysen er redd.

Why does pysen end in -en?

Because -en is the usual definite ending for many masculine/common-gender nouns in Norwegian.

So:

• en pys = a coward / a scaredy-cat / a wimp
• pysen = the coward / the scaredy-cat / the wimp

In this sentence, pysen is the subject, so it literally means something like the scaredy-cat or the coward.

Is Pysen just a normal noun here, or could it be a name?

It could be read either way depending on context.

At the start of a sentence, Norwegian capitalizes the first word anyway, so Pysen does not automatically tell you whether it is:

• a common noun: the coward / the scaredy-cat
• a nickname or character name: Pysen

Without more context, a learner should usually understand it first as the definite noun pysen. But in real life, it could absolutely also be a nickname.

Why is er used here?

Er is the present tense of å være, which means to be.

So:

• jeg er = I am
• du er = you are
• han/hun er = he/she is

In Pysen er redd, er simply means is.

Why is the adjective redd and not ?