Breakdown of Smil er viktig fordi det gjør folk glade.
være
to be
det
it
fordi
because
viktig
important
glad
happy
smil
the smile
gjøre
to make
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Questions & Answers about Smil er viktig fordi det gjør folk glade.
Why is there no article before smil?
In Norwegian, when speaking about general ideas or concepts, it’s common to omit the article. Here, smil refers to the concept of smiling in general, so there’s no need for an equivalent of a or the.
How is the adjective viktig functioning in this sentence?
Viktig means important and it serves as a predicate adjective following the linking verb er. It describes the subject smil without needing any modifiers since it comes after the verb.
What does fordi mean and how is it used in the sentence?
Fordi translates to because in English. It’s a subordinating conjunction that introduces the reason clause det gjør folk glade, explaining why smil is important.
Why does the verb gjør appear without any extra inflection in the clause det gjør folk glade?
In Norwegian, the present tense form of the verb gjøre (meaning to do/make) is gjør for all subjects, regardless of person or number. This uniformity means that no additional ending is needed, unlike in some other languages.
How do adjectives agree with nouns in Norwegian, as seen with folk glade?
In Norwegian, adjectives placed predicatively (after a linking verb) often take a form that reflects the number of the noun. Since folk (people) is plural, the adjective is in its plural form glade, indicating that the people are happy.
What is the role of det in the clause fordi det gjør folk glade?
Det acts as a pronoun that refers back to the concept introduced earlier (the idea of smil). Similar to the dummy it in English, it serves as the subject of the subordinate clause, linking back to the overall idea of smiling.