Fjernsynets lyd er dårlig.

to be

Breakdown of Fjernsynets lyd er dårlig.

• lyden: the sound
• dårlig: bad
• fjernsynets: television’s

Questions & Answers about Fjernsynets lyd er dårlig.

What does fjernsynets mean and how is the genitive formed in Norwegian?

fjernsynets is the genitive form of fjernsyn (television). You first add -et to make fjernsynet (the television) and then attach -s to indicate possession, yielding fjernsynets (“the television’s”).

Why doesn’t lyd have a definite article like -en?

In a genitive construction, the -s on the possessor makes the entire noun phrase definite. You therefore leave the possessed noun bare. So fjernsynets lyd literally means “the television’s sound” without adding -en on lyd.

Could I use an alternative construction like lyden til fjernsynet?

Yes. lyden til fjernsynet er dårlig is perfectly correct. Here you use lyden (“the sound” with -en) and til (“to/of”) to introduce the possessor fjernsynet.

Why isn’t there a preposition like på (on) as in English “the sound on the TV”?

Norwegian often uses the genitive -s to show possession, so på isn’t needed. If you prefer, you can say lyden på fjernsynet er dårlig, which literally means “the sound on the television is bad.”