Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Det er viktig å forstå kulturen. - It is important to understand the culture.

Det er is a dummy subject plus the verb “to be,” functioning like English “It is.” Norwegian often uses Det er to introduce statements or emphasize that something exists or holds true.

Why is there an å before forstå?

The particle å marks the infinitive in Norwegian, like English “to.” Most verbs take å + infinitive when they follow certain adjectives (e.g. viktig) or other verbs.

What form is forstå here, and how is it different from forstår?

forstå is the infinitive (“to understand”). forstår is the present‐tense form (“understands”/“is understanding”). After å, always use the bare infinitive (forstå).

Why is kulturen in the definite form with -en at the end?

Norwegian marks the definite article as a suffix on the noun. kulturen means “the culture.” When you speak of culture as a general concept or a specific one already in context, you use the definite form.

Can I say Å forstå kulturen er viktig instead? Is that correct?

Yes. Å forstå kulturen er viktig (“To understand the culture is important”) is grammatically correct. However, the Det er viktig å … construction is more idiomatic and common in everyday speech.

What part of speech is viktig, and does it change form?

viktig is an adjective meaning “important.” In predicative position (after er), it stays in its base form and does not inflect for gender or number.