Kjøpesenteret gir en stor rabatt på datamaskiner i dag.

The shopping mall gives a big discount on computers today.

Breakdown of Kjøpesenteret gir en stor rabatt på datamaskiner i dag.

• en: a
• stor: big
• i dag: today
• på: on

Questions & Answers about Kjøpesenteret gir en stor rabatt på datamaskiner i dag.

What does gir mean in this sentence, and could we use tilbyr instead?

Gir is the present tense of å gi (to give). In Norwegian you literally “give” a discount. In English we usually translate this as “offer.” You could also use tilbyr (present of å tilby, meaning “to offer”)—for example:
Kjøpesenteret tilbyr en stor rabatt på datamaskiner i dag.
Both are correct, but gi rabatt is the more idiomatic choice in everyday Norwegian.

Why is kjøpesenteret in its definite form?

Kjøpesenter is a neuter noun. To make it definite singular, you add -et:
kjøpesenter + et = kjøpesenteret → the shopping center.
If you wanted the indefinite version (“a shopping center”), you’d say et kjøpesenter.

Why do we say en rabatt and not et rabatt?

The noun rabatt belongs to the common gender (en-gender). Common-gender nouns take en as the indefinite article:
en rabatt = “a discount.”
Neuter nouns would take et (e.g. et hus = “a house”).

Why is the adjective stor not stort before rabatt?