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Questions & Answers about Denne delen er enkel.
What is Denne in this sentence?
Denne is a demonstrative determiner (or pronoun) meaning this. It points out a specific noun (in this case delen) and must agree in gender with that noun.
Why is it denne delen instead of dette delen?
Because del is a common-gender noun in Norwegian. Common-gender demonstratives use denne, whereas neuter nouns would take dette (e.g. dette huset for “this house”).
Why does delen end with -en?
The suffix -en marks the definite form of a common-gender noun.
• del = “part” (indefinite)
• delen = “the part” (definite)
Since you’re talking about “this part,” the noun must be definite.
Why isn’t enkel inflected in this sentence?
Here enkel is in predicative position (after the verb er), and predicative adjectives in Norwegian remain uninflected regardless of gender or number. If it were attributive (before the noun), you would inflect it: en enkel del.
How would I say “this is an easy part” but keep it indefinite?
You can say:
• Dette er en enkel del.
Here you switch to the impersonal pronoun dette, use the indefinite article en, and inflect the adjective to enkel to match the common-gender noun del.
How would I say “these parts are easy”?
Use the plural demonstrative disse, the definite plural noun delene, and the predicative adjective enkel in its plural form enkle:
• Disse delene er enkle.
(“These parts are easy.”)
What if I just want to say “it’s easy”?
You can use the impersonal pronoun det plus a neuter adjective form:
• Det er enkelt.
Optionally, you can also say Det er lett, using another common word for “easy.”
Could I say Denne er enkel on its own?
Yes, but only in context. There denne functions as a pronoun (“this one”) referring back to a previously mentioned common-gender noun. Without context you’d normally specify the noun: Denne delen er enkel.