Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Søndagen er rolig.

Norwegian marks definiteness with suffixes. The indefinite form is søndag (“a Sunday”), and the definite singular is søndagen (“the Sunday”). Here you’re talking about one specific Sunday, so you add -en instead of using a separate word for “the.”

Why is Søndagen capitalized even though days of the week aren’t normally capitalized in Norwegian?

In Norwegian, days of the week are only capitalized when they begin a sentence. Mid-sentence you’d write søndag with a lowercase s, but since Søndagen is the very first word here, it takes a capital.

Why isn’t the adjective rolig inflected (i.e., why not rolige)?

In predicative position (after a verb like er), Norwegian adjectives remain in their base form. Inflection only happens when an adjective is attributive (directly before a noun):

Attributive indefinite: en rolig dag (“a calm day”)
Attributive definite: den rolige dagen (“the calm day”) But in Søndagen er rolig, rolig is predicative, so no ending.

Can I say Søndag er rolig instead, and what’s the difference?

Yes. Søndag er rolig (without -en) makes a general statement about Sundays in general (“Sunday is calm” as a rule). Søndagen er rolig refers to one particular Sunday that’s understood from context.

How would you say “On Sunday it’s calm” instead of “The Sunday is calm”?

Use the preposition på for “on” with days of the week: • På søndag er det rolig.
Here det is the dummy subject (“it’s calm on Sunday”), and you’re talking about “Sunday” as a time expression, not as the subject noun søndagen.

Could I use stille instead of rolig? What’s the nuance?

Both mean “quiet/calm,” but: • rolig emphasizes a peaceful, relaxed atmosphere.
• stille emphasizes absence of noise or sound.
So Søndagen er stille suggests it’s very quiet, whereas rolig suggests a relaxed vibe.

How do you pronounce the ø in Søndagen?

The Norwegian ø sounds like the vowel in the English word “bird” (in non-rhotic accents) or the “u” in “burn” without pronouncing an R. Try rounding your lips as for “oh” then moving your tongue toward “ee.” A rough English respelling of Søndagen is “SURn-DAH-guhn.”

Why is the word order Søndagen er rolig (Subject-Verb-Adjective) and not something else?

Norwegian main clauses are V2 (verb-second), meaning the finite verb stays in the second slot. Here the subject (Søndagen) is first, so the verb (er) comes second, then the adjective (rolig) as the complement. If you began with an adverbial (e.g., Om søndagen), you’d still keep the verb second:
• Om søndagen er det rolig.