Køen ved sikkerhetskontrollen er lang.

The queue at the security check is long.

Breakdown of Køen ved sikkerhetskontrollen er lang.

• være: to be
• lang: long
• ved: at
• sikkerhetskontrollen: the security check
• køen: the queue

Questions & Answers about Køen ved sikkerhetskontrollen er lang.

What does the -en suffix in køen indicate?

The -en ending marks the definite singular form of a common-gender noun. So en kø means “a queue,” and køen means “the queue.”

Why is sikkerhetskontrollen one word, and what’s the extra “s” for?

Norwegian usually forms compound nouns by simply joining the parts. Here you have sikkerhet (“security”) + kontroll (“control/check”). The linking -s- connects the two elements smoothly. Finally, the -en at the end makes the entire compound definite: “the security checkpoint.”

Why isn’t the adjective lang written as lange or langt?

In Norwegian, adjectives in predicate position (after er) stay in their basic form regardless of gender or number. So it’s er lang for “is long.” If you use the adjective attributively (before a noun), you would inflect it:
• Indefinite: en lang kø (“a long queue”)
• Definite: den lange køen (“the long queue”)

How do you say “a long queue” instead of “the queue”?

You use the indefinite article and inflect the adjective attributively: en lang kø.

How would you form the plural of køen and sikkerhetskontrollen?

• kø (queue) – indefinite plural: køer; definite plural: køene
• sikkerhetskontroll (security checkpoint) – indefinite plural: sikkerhetskontroller; definite plural: sikkerhetskontrollene
Example sentence in plural: Køene ved sikkerhetskontrollen er lange.

Why is the preposition ved used here? Can I use på or i instead?

ved means “by/at” in the sense of location next to something, so ved sikkerhetskontrollen = “at/by the security checkpoint.”
• på sikkerhetskontrollen would sound like “on top of” it.
• i sikkerhetskontrollen would mean “inside” the checkpoint area. For a queue forming outside or at the entrance, ved is the normal choice.

Can I start the sentence with the location phrase? How does that affect word order?

Yes. Norwegian follows the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in second position. If you front the prepositional phrase, the verb stays second and the subject follows it:
“Ved sikkerhetskontrollen er køen lang.”

What gender is kø, and does it affect how I use articles?

In Bokmål kø is common gender (en-word). You say en kø and køen. Historically it was feminine (ei kø/​køa), and some dialects still use ei/​-a, but en kø/​køen is the standard.

How do I pronounce the letter ø in køen?

The Norwegian ø is a rounded front vowel, similar to the French “eu” in peur or the German “ö” in schön. In køen it’s long ([køːən]) because it’s followed by a single consonant.