Det er en stor by.

to be

Breakdown of Det er en stor by.

• en: a
• stor: big
• det: it
• by: the city

Questions & Answers about Det er en stor by.

Why is Det used instead of Den in this sentence?

In Norwegian, Det can function as an impersonal or introductory subject meaning there or it in English. While Den would refer to something with a specific grammatical gender (masculine/feminine), Det is frequently used at the start of sentences to introduce statements or facts, regardless of the noun’s gender.

Why do we say en in en stor by and not et?

In Norwegian, nouns are classified as either masculine, feminine, or neuter. The word by (city) is masculine, so its indefinite article is en. If it were a neuter noun, such as hus (house), you would use et (e.g., et stort hus).

How do we know which form of the adjective stor to use?

Adjectives in Norwegian must agree with the gender and number of the noun. For singular masculine or feminine nouns, you use stor, for singular neuter nouns, you use stort, and for plural nouns or definite forms, you use store. Because by is a masculine noun, stor is correct here.

What is the difference in meaning between stor by and by stor in Norwegian?

In Norwegian, adjectives usually come before the noun, so you’d normally say stor by for big city. Placing an adjective after the noun is not common in modern Norwegian, and it can change the meaning or sound unnatural.

Is by pronounced like bee or bye?

The Norwegian y sound is somewhat similar to the vowel in the English word see, but pronounced with more rounded lips. You can think of it as somewhere between bee and few. It is not pronounced as bye (like the English farewell word).