Planen er viktig, men vi kan endre den.

The plan is important, but we can change it.

Breakdown of Planen er viktig, men vi kan endre den.

• være: to be
• vi: we
• men: but
• den: it
• kunne: can
• viktig: important
• planen: the plan
• endre: to change

Questions & Answers about Planen er viktig, men vi kan endre den.

What does planen mean, and why is there an -en at the end?

planen = “the plan.” In Norwegian Bokmål the definite article is a suffix: plan (a plan) + -en (definite common-gender singular) gives you planen (“the plan”).

Why doesn't viktig take an -e ending, as in viktige?

Here viktig is a predicate adjective (it follows the linking verb er). Predicate adjectives in Norwegian remain in their base form and do not get -e endings. Only attributive adjectives (those placed directly before a noun) agree in gender, number and definiteness.

How would you say “the important plan” in Norwegian, using an attributive adjective?

You would say den viktige planen.

• den is the demonstrative for a definite common-gender noun.
• viktige takes -e because it’s attributive to a definite noun.
• planen remains the definite noun form.

What is men, and do you always put a comma before it?

men means “but.” Commas before men are not strictly compulsory in Norwegian, but it’s common to use one to separate two main clauses, especially in writing.

What does den refer to in the second clause, and why not det?

Here den is the third-person singular object pronoun “it,” referring back to planen. You use den for common-gender nouns (en-words) and det for neuter nouns (et-words).

Why is endre placed at the end of the clause after kan?

Norwegian follows the V2 rule: the finite verb (kan) occupies second position, and any non-finite verb (infinitive endre) comes after objects or adverbials at the end of the clause.

Where would you insert ikke to say “we can’t change it”?

You put ikke immediately after the finite verb:
Vi kan ikke endre den.