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Questions & Answers about Skyene dekker himmelen.
What does skyene mean, and why isn’t there a separate word for “the” in front of it?
skyene is the plural definite form of sky (cloud). In Norwegian you don’t use a separate word like “the” in front of a noun; instead you add a suffix. The indefinite singular is sky, the indefinite plural is skyer, and the definite plural is skyene.
Why is himmelen in its definite form here (“the sky”), instead of the indefinite himmel?
Because we’re talking about a specific sky that the clouds cover. In English you say “the sky,” and in Norwegian that specificity is shown by the suffix -en on himmel, giving himmelen.
How do you say “clouds cover the sky” in indefinite form, and when would you use that?
Indefinite singular/plural: sky / skyer. You could say “Skyr dekker himmel” but that sounds very odd because it sounds like an abstract generality. Native speakers almost always use the definite form when speaking about the sky and clouds in this context.
What is the infinitive of dekker, and how do you conjugate it in the present tense?
The infinitive is å dekke (to cover). Present tense is very regular:
jeg dekker
du dekker
han/hun dekker
vi dekker
dere dekker
de dekker