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Questions & Answers about Bilen er for stor.
What does Bilen mean in this sentence?
Bilen translates to "the car" in English. The ending -en indicates that the noun is in its definite form, meaning you’re referring to a specific car.
How is the word for used in this sentence, and what does it mean?
In this context, for means "too" (as in "excessively"). It functions as an intensifier to indicate that the car’s size exceeds a desirable or acceptable level.
How does the structure of Bilen er for stor compare to its English equivalent, "The car is too big"?
Both sentences follow a similar subject-verb-predicate structure. In Norwegian, Bilen is the subject, er (meaning "is") is the linking verb, and for stor acts as the predicate adjective phrase, just as "too big" does in English.
Why is the adjective stor unchanged, even though Bilen is a definite noun?
In Norwegian, adjectives used in the predicate position after the verb generally remain in their base form, regardless of whether the subject noun is definite or indefinite. So even though Bilen is definite, stor does not take an extra ending.
How would the sentence change if I wanted to refer to a car rather than the car?
To refer to a car (an indefinite noun), you would say "En bil er for stor." Here, en bil means "a car," shifting the reference from a specific car to any car in general.