Bilen er blå.

The car is blue.

Breakdown of Bilen er blå.

• være: to be
• bilen: the car
• blå: blue

Questions & Answers about Bilen er blå.

What is the function of -en in bilen?

-en is the definite singular suffix for common-gender nouns in Bokmål. Instead of a separate word for “the,” Norwegian tacks -en onto bil (car), giving bilen (“the car”).

How would you say a car instead of the car?

Use the indefinite article en before the noun:
en bil = “a car.”

What gender is bil, and why does it matter for the article?

In Bokmål, bil is a common-gender noun (often called masculine). That means:
• Indefinite singular: en bil (“a car”)
• Definite singular: bil + en → bilen (“the car”)

Why doesn’t blå have an ending like blått or blåe in bilen er blå?

Here blå is used predicatively (it follows the linking verb er/“is”). Predicative adjectives in Norwegian remain uninflected for gender, number or definiteness, so you just say blå.

How would you turn Bilen er blå into a yes/no question?