Breakdown of Verktøyet er gammelt, men det er fortsatt nødvendig på kjøkkenet.
være
to be
det
it
men
but
fortsatt
still
kjøkkenet
the kitchen
på
in
gammel
old
nødvendig
necessary
verktøyet
the tool
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Questions & Answers about Verktøyet er gammelt, men det er fortsatt nødvendig på kjøkkenet.
Why is verktøyet spelled with -et at the end?
Because it’s the definite singular form of a neuter noun. The indefinite singular is et verktøy, and to make it definite you add -et, yielding verktøyet.
How do you form the plural of verktøy?
The indefinite plural is the same as the base form: verktøy. The definite plural adds -ene, giving verktøyene.
Why does the adjective gammelt end in -t instead of gammel?
Because verktøyet is a neuter noun. In predicative position (after the verb er), adjectives agree only in gender and number: neuter singular adjectives take -t (compare et hus er stort vs. en bok er stor).
Why isn’t the adjective inflected with an extra -e, as in det gamle verktøyet?
Attributive adjectives (before a noun) in the definite form get -e: det gamle verktøyet. Predicative adjectives (after er) do not show definiteness—only gender—so you keep gammelt.
What does men mean, and why is it used here?
Men means but. It links two clauses to show contrast: the tool is old, but it is still necessary.
What role does det play in men det er fortsatt nødvendig?
It’s a subject pronoun referring back to verktøyet. Norwegian requires an explicit subject in each clause, so you replace the repeated noun with det.
What does fortsatt mean, and why is it placed between er and nødvendig?
Fortsatt means still. In Norwegian main clauses, adverbs normally follow the finite verb: Subject + Verb + Adverb + Complement, hence det er fortsatt nødvendig.
Why is the preposition på used in på kjøkkenet, and could you use i instead?
When talking about rooms or parts of a house, Norwegian typically uses på + definite: på kjøkkenet, på badet, på loftet. Using i kjøkkenet is grammatically possible but less idiomatic. To say “in a kitchen” (non‐specific), you would use på et kjøkken.
Why is kjøkkenet in the definite form here?
Because the sentence refers to a specific kitchen (e.g., the one in your home). In Norwegian, when you talk about a particular location—especially with på and rooms—you use the definite form.