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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
Can you turn the sentence into passive voice?
Yes. You would say “Himmelen er dekket av skyer.”
– er dekket is the passive present of å dekke
– av skyer means “by clouds”
Why is the word order Skyene dekker himmelen (S–V–O) and not something else?
Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in second position. With no fronted element, the subject comes first, then the verb, then the object (S–V–O).
How would you form a yes/no question from this sentence?
Invert the subject and verb: “Dekker skyene himmelen?”
That literally means “Do the clouds cover the sky?”
Are there any prepositions needed with dekke when talking about covering something?
No. dekke is transitive, so you directly follow it with the object. You don’t need a preposition like in English (“cover the sky with clouds”). If you wanted to say “cover the table with a cloth,” you’d still say “dekke bordet med et klede,” but for direct covering you just use the object.