Listen er lang.

The list is long.

Breakdown of Listen er lang.

• være: to be
• lang: long
• listen: the list

Questions & Answers about Listen er lang.

Why is “the” attached to the noun in Listen instead of using a separate word like English “the”?

Norwegian marks definiteness with a suffix on the noun. For most common-gender nouns the definite singular ends in -en, and for many feminine nouns you can choose -a or -en.

• Indefinite: (en/ei) liste = a list
• Definite: listen/lista = the list So Listen er lang = “The list is long.”

Why is it Listen and not Lista?

The noun liste is grammatically feminine. In Bokmål you may treat many feminine nouns as common gender:

• Feminine style: ei liste → lista
• Common-gender style: en liste → listen Both are correct in Bokmål: Listen er lang and Lista er lang. In Nynorsk, only the feminine form is allowed: Lista er lang.

Why is the adjective lang (not lange) here?

Because the adjective is predicative (after the verb “to be”). In Bokmål predicative adjectives agree like this:

• Masculine/Feminine singular: base form → lang
• Neuter singular: langt
• Plural: lange So: Listen/Lista er lang, but Huset er langt, Listene er lange.

When do I use langt or lange?

• Neuter singular subject: Huset er langt (The house is long).
• Plural subject (any gender): Listene er lange (The lists are long).
• Attributive (before a noun) also changes:
  • en/ei lang liste
  • et langt brev
  • lange lister

How would I say this in the plural?

Use the plural definite noun and plural adjective:

• Listene er lange = The lists are long. Plural forms for the noun:
• Indefinite plural: lister
• Definite plural: listene

Can I say “Det er en lang liste” instead?

Yes, but it means something slightly different:

• Det er en lang liste introduces or describes an unspecified list: “There is a long list / It’s a long list.”
• Listen/Lista er lang speaks about a specific, known list: “The list is long.”

How do I negate it?

Place ikke after the verb:

• Listen/Lista er ikke lang = The list is not long. With a fronted element, keep verb-second word order:
• I dag er listen/lista ikke lang.

How do I make a yes/no question and answer naturally?

Invert subject and verb:

• Question: Er listen/lista lang?
• Answers: Ja, den er lang. / Nei, den er ikke lang.

Which pronoun do I use to refer back to liste?

Use den (common gender) in both masculine-style and feminine-style Bokmål:

• Jeg har sett listen/lista. Den er lang. Use det only for neuter nouns (e.g., huset → det).

Is listen a verb here like English “listen”?

No. It’s a false friend. Norwegian listen is the definite form of the noun liste (“the list”). Also note pronunciation: the t in Norwegian lis-ten is pronounced (unlike English “listen”), and lang ends with an “ng” sound.

How do you roughly pronounce the sentence?

Approximate guide: “LIH-sten air lahng.” Tips:

• Pronounce the t in lis-ten.
• lang has an “ng” sound at the end; the “g” isn’t separately released.

Why isn’t there a separate den (“the”) before the noun?

Norwegian uses suffixed definiteness on the noun. A separate den/det/de is added only with an attributive adjective or similar (“double definiteness”):

• No adjective: Listen/Lista er lang.
• With adjective: Den lange listen/lista er nyttig. (“The long list is useful.”)

What are the core forms of the noun liste?

• Indefinite singular: en/ei liste
• Definite singular: listen/lista
• Indefinite plural: lister
• Definite plural: listene

What’s the difference between lang, lenge, and langsom?

• lang = long (adjective): Listen er lang.
• lenge = for a long time (adverb): Jeg ventet lenge.
• langsom = slow (adjective): En langsom prosess (not related to length).

How do I express “longer/longest” or intensify it?

Comparatives of lang:

• lengre (longer): Listen er lengre enn forventet.
• lengst (longest): Dette er den lengste lista/listen. Intensifiers: veldig/ganske/altfor lang (very/quite/too long).