Telefonen er ødelagt.

The phone is broken.

Breakdown of Telefonen er ødelagt.

• være: to be
• telefonen: the phone
• ødelagt: broken

Questions & Answers about Telefonen er ødelagt.

Why does telefonen end with -en, and what does this form mean?

telefonen is the definite singular form of the noun telefon (“phone”). In Bokmål Norwegian, you add -en (for masculine/feminine nouns) to make it definite.

• telefon = “a phone”
• telefonen = “the phone”

What part of speech is er and why is it used here?

er is the present‐tense form of the verb å være (“to be”). Here it functions as a copula linking the subject (telefonen) with its predicate (ødelagt), so the structure is:
Subject + er + predicate adjective.

Is ødelagt an adjective or a verb form in this sentence?

ødelagt is technically the past participle of the verb å ødelegge (“to destroy, break”). In Telefonen er ødelagt, it behaves like a predicate adjective describing the state of the phone (i.e. “the phone is broken”).

Does Telefonen er ødelagt express the passive voice?

Not in the active/passive sense of an action being performed right now. Instead it’s a “stative passive,” describing the result state of the phone. If you wanted to focus on the action that broke it, you’d say:

• Telefonen ble ødelagt (“The phone was broken.”)

What is the infinitive of ødelagt, and how do you form its past participle?

The infinitive is å ødelegge (“to destroy/break”). Its past participle is irregular:

• Infinitive: ødelegge
• Past participle: ødelagt

You don’t add a regular suffix; you must memorize ødelagt as the correct form.

How would you say “my phone is broken” in Norwegian?

You can add the possessive min (“my”) in front or after the noun:

• Min telefon er ødelagt.
• Telefonen min er ødelagt.

Are there alternative ways to express “the phone is broken”?

Yes. Some common options:

• Telefonen har gått i stykker. (“The phone has broken [lit. ‘gone into pieces’].”)
• Telefonen er skadet. (“The phone is damaged.”)
• Telefonen fungerer ikke. (“The phone doesn’t work.”)

How do you pronounce ødelagt, especially the ø sound?

• ø is like the German “ö” or French “eu” in peur, pronounced with rounded lips.
• ødelagt: [ˈøː.də.lɑkt]
  
  • ˈøː = long “ø”
  • də = like “deh”
  • lɑkt = like “lakht” with a softly released “t”

Can ødelagt be used for people or abstract things?

Yes. While often used for objects, you can describe someone as emotionally “broken”:

• Hun er helt ødelagt etter nyheten. (“She is completely devastated after the news.”)