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Questions & Answers about Feilen er borte nå.
Why is it “Feilen” and not just “feil”?
Because Norwegian marks definiteness with a suffix. We’re talking about a specific, known error, so you use the definite form:
- Indefinite: en feil (an error)
- Definite: feilen (the error) Bare feil would either be ungrammatical here or read as the adjective/adverb meaning “wrong.”
What are the full noun forms of “feil” (error)?
- Singular indefinite: en feil
- Singular definite: feilen
- Plural indefinite: feil (same as singular)
- Plural definite: feilene
If there were multiple errors, can I say “Feilene er borte nå”?
Yes. Feilene er borte nå means “The errors are gone now.” Note the plural definite feilene.
What does “borte” mean here, and what part of speech is it?
Borte means “away/gone.” It’s an adverb used predicatively with være (to be) to describe a state: er borte = “is gone/away.”
What’s the difference between “borte” and “bort”?
- borte = state (no movement): Han er borte (He is away/gone).
- bort = direction/motion: Han gikk bort (He went away). Note: gå bort can also mean “pass away (die)” about people, so be careful with that expression.
Can I use “vekk” instead of “borte”?
Often, yes. Feilen er vekk nå is common in speech (especially regionally). Borte is neutral and works everywhere; vekk can sound more colloquial/dialectal (Western/Northern Norwegian often say vekke).
How is “er borte” different from “har forsvunnet” or “er forsvunnet”?
- er borte: focuses on the present state (the error is absent).
- har forsvunnet: focuses on the event (it has disappeared).
- er forsvunnet: state/resultative (it is in a disappeared state). All are idiomatic; choose based on whether you want to highlight the state or the disappearance event.
Are there more precise alternatives if I mean it’s fixed?
Yes:
- Feilen er rettet = The error has been corrected.
- Feilen er fjernet = The error has been removed (e.g., deleted entry).
- Problemet er løst = The problem is solved. Er borte only says it’s not present; it doesn’t explicitly say it was fixed.
What word orders are possible, and how does V2 work here?
- Feilen er borte nå. (neutral)
- Nå er feilen borte. (time adverb first → verb in 2nd position = V2)
- Feilen er nå borte. (a bit more formal/written) Do not say: Nå feilen er borte as a main clause. That only works as a subclause opener: Nå som feilen er borte, … = “Now that the error is gone, …”
How do you pronounce “Feilen er borte nå”?
Approximate guide (East Norwegian):
- Feilen: “FEI-len” (ei ~ English “eye”)
- er: short “air”
- borte: “BOR-teh” with retroflex t (the r+t in rt merge)
- nå: “noh” with a long vowel (å is its own letter) IPA-ish: [ˈfæɪlən ær ˈbʊʈe nɔː]
Is “nå” the same as “når”?
No:
- nå = now
- når = when Example: Når er feilen borte? Den er borte nå.
How do I say “not gone yet”?
- Feilen er ikke borte ennå. You’ll also hear enda in speech: … ikke borte enda. Traditional advice is ennå for “yet/still (time), and enda for “even (degree), but in everyday use both appear.
Does “borte” work with people too?
Yes: Han er borte can mean “He is away/absent,” or “missing.” Context can also make it a euphemism for “has passed away.” For clarity, people often say borte for i dag (away for today) or har gått bort (has passed away).
Is “no” an acceptable spelling of “nå”?
- Bokmål: nå
- Nynorsk and many dialects: no So Feilen er borte no is Nynorsk/dialectal; in Bokmål you write nå.
If the error returns, how do I say that?
- Feilen er tilbake. = The error is back.
- Feilen har kommet tilbake. = The error has come back.