Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Flyet er forsinket, men appen viser en ny avgangstid. - The airplane is delayed, but the app shows a new departure time.

Forsinket means delayed; it’s the past participle of the verb forsinke (to delay). When paired with er (to be), it forms a resultative or passive-like construction: “The plane is delayed.”

Why is there a comma before men in this sentence?

Norwegian punctuation places a comma before the coordinating conjunction men (but) when it links two independent clauses, similar to English.

How does app become appen, and what does that indicate?

Appending -en to app makes it definite. So appen = “the app,” while en app = “an app.”

Why doesn’t the sentence include a preposition like “in the app”?

In Norwegian, the verb vise (to show) can directly take its object (what is shown) without a preposition. Thus appen viser en ny avgangstid is literally “the app shows a new departure time.”

What is the structure of avgangstid, and how is it formed?

Avgangstid is a compound noun:
• avgang = departure
• tid = time
Together, avgangstid = departure time.

Why is it en ny avgangstid instead of et nytt avgangstid?

Avgangstid is a common-gender noun, so it takes the indefinite article en and the adjective form ny. The neuter adjective nytt would be used with a neuter noun.

What’s the difference between Flyet er forsinket and Flyet blir forsinket?

• Flyet er forsinket describes the plane’s current state: “The plane is delayed.”
• Flyet blir forsinket uses bli (to become) + past participle to form a true passive: “The plane is (being) delayed,” emphasizing the action or process.

Could we say men appen har vist en ny avgangstid instead of viser, and what changes?

Yes, but it shifts the tense:
• viser = “shows” (present, ongoing relevance)
• har vist = “has shown” (perfect, focusing on a completed action)
Use har vist if you want to stress that the app has already updated.