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Questions & Answers about Kabelen er for kort.
What does for mean in Kabelen er for kort?
Here for means too, as in “excessively.” It’s not the same as the English preposition “for” (purpose). When placed before an adjective it expresses that something goes beyond an acceptable degree: for kort = too short.
Why isn’t kort inflected (like korte)?
In Norwegian, predicative adjectives (those that follow a linking verb like er) remain in their base form and do not take gender or number endings. If you use the adjective attributively (before a noun), you would inflect it:
• en kort kabel
• den korte kabelen
What does the -en ending on kabelen signal?
The suffix -en is the definite article in Norwegian Bokmål. kabel (a cable) + -en = kabelen (the cable). English expresses this with a separate word the, but Norwegian often uses endings.
Why is there no separate word equivalent to “the” in front of kabelen?
Because Norwegian marks definiteness with a suffix on the noun rather than a separate word. Saying the kabelen would be a double definite and is ungrammatical.
How would you ask “Is the cable too short?” in Norwegian?
Invert the verb and the subject:
Er kabelen for kort?
How can I express “a cable that is too short” in an attributive way?
You normally use a relative clause:
en kabel som er for kort
Colloquially you might sometimes hear en for kort kabel, but the relative clause is clearer and more standard.
What are the comparative and superlative forms of kort?
Predicatively (after er):
• kabelen er kortere (the cable is shorter)
• kabelen er kortest (the cable is shortest)
Attributively:
• en kortere kabel
• den korteste kabelen
Can I use ledning instead of kabel here?
Yes. ledning (en ledning, ledningen) also means a cable or cord—often for power or signals. In many contexts kabel and ledning are interchangeable, though kabel sometimes implies a thicker or more specialized wire.