Vi ser pysen.

We see the wimp.

Breakdown of Vi ser pysen.

• vi: we
• se: to see
• pysen: the wimp

Questions & Answers about Vi ser pysen.

Why is it vi ser pysen and not vi ser den pysen?

Because pysen already means the coward / the wimp / the scaredy-cat. In Norwegian, definiteness is often built into the noun itself with an ending.

• en pyse = a coward / a wimp
• pysen = the coward / the wimp

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

You can sometimes also use a separate determiner with a definite noun, but then the structure changes and usually includes an adjective, for example:

• den lille pysen = the little coward

In your sentence, pysen by itself is enough.

What does the ending -en in pysen mean?

The ending -en is the definite singular ending for many Norwegian nouns.

Here:

• pyse = indefinite singular
• pysen = definite singular

This is a very common Norwegian pattern:

• en bil → bilen
• en hund → hunden
• en pyse → pysen

So if you see -en at the end of a noun, a good first guess is that it means the.

What form of the verb is ser?