Questions & Answers about Kysten er vakker om morgenen.
What does kysten mean and why the -en suffix?
kysten translates to the coast. In Norwegian Bokmål you form the definite singular by adding a suffix to the noun. The base form is kyst (a coast). Because kyst is a common-gender noun (en kyst), you add -en to get kysten (the coast).
How do you pronounce kysten er vakker om morgenen?
IPA: [ˈçʏstən ɛːr ˈvɑkːər ɔm mɔˈɾeːnən]
Approximation for English speakers:
- kysten: “SHYU-sten” (sh as in “ship,” yu like “you”)
- er: “air”
- vakker: “VAK-ker” (stress on first syllable)
- om: “om” (like “hum” without the h)
- morgenen: “mor-REH-nen” (stress on REH, roll the r slightly)
Why doesn’t vakker take an ending like adjectives normally do with definite nouns?
Because vakker is used predicatively (it follows the verb er). Predicative adjectives in Norwegian remain in their base form regardless of definiteness. Only attributive adjectives (those directly modifying a noun) get an extra -e in the definite: e.g. den vakre kysten.
How would I say the beautiful coast (with an attributive adjective)?