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Questions & Answers about Slutten gjør meg trist.
What does Slutten mean, and what is the purpose of the -en ending?
It means “the end.” The base noun is slutt (end/ending), and the suffix -en marks the definite form. So slutten = the end.
What is the infinitive of gjør, and how is it used here?
The infinitive is å gjøre (“to do” or “to make”). Gjør is the present-tense form, so Slutten gjør meg trist literally means “The end makes me sad.”
Why is the pronoun meg used here instead of jeg?
Jeg is the subject pronoun (“I”), while meg is the object pronoun (“me”). Since the end is doing something to “me” (making me sad), you need the object form meg.
Why doesn’t the adjective trist change form in this sentence?
In Norwegian Bokmål, adjectives in predicative position (i.e., after a verb like å gjøre or å være) do not inflect. They only take endings when used attributively (directly before a noun).
What word‐order rule governs Slutten gjør meg trist?
Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 (verb-second) rule: the finite verb (gjør) must be the second element. Here “Slutten” is first, gjør is second, then the object (meg), and finally the complement (trist).
Could I replace Slutten with Det? Would the meaning change?
Yes. Det gjør meg trist means “That makes me sad” or “It makes me sad.” You go from a specific subject (slutten) to a general one (det).
Are slutten and enden interchangeable?
Both translate as “the end,” but slutt is more colloquial and common for endings of stories, events, films, etc. Ende is a bit more formal or literary.
How would you say “The end made me sad” in the past tense?
Use the past form of gjør, which is gjorde:
Slutten gjorde meg trist.
Is there another way to express “makes me sad” in Norwegian?
Yes. You can also say gjør meg lei meg, where lei meg is more colloquial for feeling sad. Example: Slutten gjør meg lei meg.