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Breakdown of Internett fungerer ikke når antennen er ødelagt.
være
to be
når
when
ikke
not
fungere
to work
internettet
the internet
ødelagt
broken
antennen
the antenna
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Questions & Answers about Internett fungerer ikke når antennen er ødelagt.
Why doesn’t Internett take a definite article here? Wouldn’t internettet be correct?
Internett is treated as a proper noun in Norwegian, just like in English we don’t say “the Facebook.” It normally stands alone without a definite article. (In Danish you might see internettet, but in Norwegian it’s standard to say Internett by itself.)
What is fungerer, and why is ikke placed right after it?
fungerer is the present‐tense, third‐person singular form of the verb å fungere (“to function,” “to work”). In Norwegian main clauses, the negation ikke typically follows the finite verb, giving the order Subject–Verb–Negation–Object/Complement (S–V–Neg–O):
Internett (fungerer) ikke (when…).
Why is når used instead of da or hvis?
- når = “when” in a general, habitual or future sense (whenever)
- da = “when” for a single, specific past event
- hvis = “if,” a hypothetical condition
Here the sentence expresses a general condition (“whenever the antenna is broken…”), so når is correct.
Why is antennen in the definite form rather than en antenne?
The speaker refers to a specific antenna (e.g. the one on your router). Using the definite form antennen (“the antenna”) clarifies it’s that particular antenna, not any antenna in general.
In the clause når antennen er ødelagt, why isn’t the word order inverted as in main clauses?
Subordinate (dependent) clauses in Norwegian keep the standard Subject–Verb–Object (SVO) order, even after a conjunction like når. In main clauses you might see inversion after certain adverbs, but here you simply say antennen er ødelagt.
What does ødelagt mean, and how is it formed?
ødelagt is the past participle of the verb å ødelegge (“to destroy,” “to break”). When used with å være (“to be”), it functions like an adjective meaning “broken” or “destroyed.” It is indeclinable and stays ødelagt regardless of gender or number.
Why is Internett capitalized in Norwegian? Shouldn’t it be lowercase like internett?
In Norwegian, Internett is considered a proper noun—much like Europa or Norge—so it’s standard to capitalize it.