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Questions & Answers about Lysbryteren er ødelagt.
What does lysbryteren mean and why is it written as one word?
lysbryteren is the definite form of the compound noun lysbryter, which means light switch. Norwegian often combines two nouns into one compound: lys (light) + bryter (switch) = lysbryter. The ending -en makes it definite, so lysbryteren means the light switch.
What is the indefinite form of lysbryteren and how do you say a light switch in Norwegian?
The indefinite form is lysbryter. To say a light switch, you use the masculine indefinite article en:
- en lysbryter
Why is er used here instead of a past-tense form?
Norwegian uses er (present tense of å være, to be) with a past participle to express a resulting state—is broken—much like English. You could use a perfect tense to emphasize the action:
- Lysbryteren har blitt ødelagt (the light switch has been broken)
but Lysbryteren er ødelagt simply states its current condition.
What part of speech is ødelagt and where does it come from?