Breakdown of Selv om køen er lang, er billettautomaten enkel å bruke.
være
to be
å
to
lang
long
selv om
even though
bruke
to use
køen
the queue
billettautomaten
the ticket machine
enkel
easy
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Questions & Answers about Selv om køen er lang, er billettautomaten enkel å bruke.
What does Selv om mean and how is it used?
Selv om literally means even though or although. It’s a subordinating conjunction used to introduce a contrast. It remains two separate words. In the clause Selv om køen er lang, the finite verb stays in second position—even within that subordinate clause.
Why is the word order er billettautomaten enkel å bruke instead of billettautomaten er enkel å bruke?
Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule (verb‐second). Since the preceding subordinate clause (Selv om køen er lang) occupies the first position, the finite verb (er) must come next, then the subject (billettautomaten), and finally the rest of the predicate (enkel å bruke).
How do we form the compound billettautomaten?
billettautomaten = billett (ticket) + automat (machine) + -en (definite singular suffix).
Indefinite singular: en billettautomat
Definite singular: billettautomaten
Plural indefinite: billettautomater
Plural definite: billettautomatene
Why is the adjective enkel not enkelt here?
Because enkel is used predicatively after the verb er, and predicative adjectives in Norwegian stay in their base form regardless of gender or number. If the adjective were attributive (before a noun), it would agree:
en enkel billett (common, singular)
et enkelt spørsmål (neuter, singular)
flere enkle spørsmål (plural)
Why do we use å bruke instead of bruker or another form?
The construction enkel å + infinitive (easy to + verb) requires the infinitive form of the verb, which in Norwegian is å + verb stem. Here, å bruke means to use. Using bruker (present tense “use(s)”) would change the meaning and break the “easy to …” pattern.
Why is it køen (the queue) instead of en kø (a queue)?
We use the definite form køen because we’re referring to a specific queue (the one at the ticket machine). If you wanted to speak in general terms, you could say Selv om en kø er lang (“Even though a queue is long…”).
How do you pronounce the letter ø in køen?
The Norwegian ø is a front rounded vowel, similar to the eu in French bleu or the ö in German schön. To pronounce it, round your lips as for an o, but keep your tongue positioned forward as for an e.
Is the comma after the clause Selv om køen er lang, necessary?
In Norwegian, placing a comma after a subordinate clause is recommended for clarity but not strictly mandatory. The comma in Selv om køen er lang, er … helps signal the transition back to the main clause and improves readability.