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Luften er tørr.

Luften er tørr.
The air is dry.
FromLesson 13inHardcore Norwegian
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Breakdown of Luften er tørr.

være
to be
luften
the air
tørr
dry
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Questions & Answers about Luften er tørr.

Why is luften used here instead of luft?
luft is a (mass) noun in its indefinite form. Adding the ending -en makes it definite, so luften means the air. You use the definite form when you talk about a specific or contextual air (for example, the air in the room). If you wanted to speak about air in general, you’d leave off -en.
How would you express “air is dry” in general, without saying “the air”?

You’d say: • Luft er tørr.
Here luft stands in the indefinite form (“air” generically). Note that you don’t add en/ei because luft is normally an uncountable noun when used this way.

What gender is luft, and how do I know which article to use?

luft belongs to the common gender class (formerly feminine, now often just called “common”).
• Its indefinite article is en (though with mass nouns you often omit it).
• Its definite singular ending is -en, giving luften.

Why is the adjective tørr not tørt or tørre here?

Because tørr is used predicatively (after the linking verb er). Predicative adjectives in Norwegian stay in their base form regardless of gender or number.
• Attributive (before a noun) adjectives do inflect:
– tørr luft (indefinite, common gender)
– tørt hus (indefinite, neuter)
– tørre bøker (indefinite, plural)

How do I say “dry air” as an adjective-noun phrase, and what happens to the ending?

• Indefinite, common gender: tørr luft
• Definite: den tørre luften
When the noun is definite and the adjective is attributive, you add -e to the adjective (tørr → tørre).

How do you pronounce the Norwegian letter ø and the double r in tørr?

• ø is a front rounded vowel, similar to the French peu or the “i” in English sir (but with rounded lips).
• The double r indicates a longer or more trilled r sound, depending on your dialect. It’s not two separate rs in syllables, just a prolonged trill or tap.

How would I negate the sentence, i.e. say “The air is not dry”?

Insert ikke after the verb:
• Luften er ikke tørr.

How do I turn this into past tense (“The air was dry”)?

Replace er (present of å være) with var (past):
• Luften var tørr.