Log inSign up

Veien er lang.

Veien er lang.
The road is long.
FromLesson 12inHardcore Norwegian
……

Breakdown of Veien er lang.

være
to be
lang
long
veien
the road
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Norwegian grammar?”
Norwegian grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Norwegian

Master Norwegian — from Veien er lang to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.

  • ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Start learning Norwegian freeBrowse the full course

More from this lesson

snøenmåkeSnøen blir måkt tidlig om morgenen.falleroligunderstormenNår snøen faller, er gatene roligere enn under en storm.

Questions & Answers about Veien er lang.

What does veien mean, and why isn’t it just vei?

Veien is the definite singular form of vei.

  • vei = “road” (indefinite)
  • veien = “the road” (definite)
    In Norwegian you usually put the definite article as a suffix: masculine/feminine nouns get -en, neuter nouns get -et.
Why is the adjective lang not inflected (for example, lange or langt)?

When an adjective follows a form of å være (“to be”) as a predicative, it stays in its base form.

  • Veien er lang. (“The road is long.”)
    You only inflect adjectives before a noun or in certain other grammatical contexts.
Why is there no separate article like den or det before veien?

Norwegian normally uses a postfixed article on the noun itself.

  • veien already contains -en, the definite article.
    You could add den for emphasis or contrast: den veien (“that road”), but it’s optional.
What is the basic word order in Veien er lang?

It follows the Subject–Verb–Predicative pattern:
Subject (Veien) + Verb (er) + Predicate adjective (lang)
This mirrors English The road is long.

How would you say “this road is long” in Norwegian?

You use the demonstrative denne for feminine nouns:
Denne veien er lang.

  • denne = “this” (feminine singular)
  • veien = “the road”
  • er lang = “is long”
What is the gender of vei, and how does it affect articles and adjectives?

Vei is feminine.

  • Indefinite singular article: en vei (or dialectal ei vei)
  • Definite singular: veien
    Adjective before noun:
  • en lang vei (“a long road”)
    Definite attributive adjective:
  • den lange veien (“the long road”)