Kniven er skarp.

The knife is sharp.

Breakdown of Kniven er skarp.

• være: to be
• kniven: the knife
• skarp: sharp

Questions & Answers about Kniven er skarp.

What does the -en at the end of Kniven mean?

It’s the definite singular ending for a common-gender noun. Kniv = knife; kniven = the knife. In Bokmål, most masculine and feminine nouns form the definite singular with -en (or -a for many feminine nouns).

• Indefinite singular: en kniv (a knife)
• Definite singular: kniven (the knife)
• Indefinite plural: kniver (knives)
• Definite plural: knivene (the knives)

Why is there no separate word for “the” in Kniven er skarp?

Norwegian normally uses a suffix on the noun for definiteness instead of a separate word: kniv → kniven. A separate article appears in “double definiteness” when an adjective comes before the noun: den skarpe kniven (the sharp knife). So:

• Predicate after the noun: Kniven er skarp.
• Attributive before the noun: den skarpe kniven

Could I say Kniv er skarp?

Not for normal speech. For general statements, Norwegian uses either:

• Indefinite singular generic: En kniv er skarp. (A knife is sharp = knives in general are sharp.)
• Plural generic: Kniver er skarpe. (Knives are sharp.) Using a bare singular without article (Kniv er skarp) is unidiomatic in Bokmål.