Questions & Answers about Kafeen er åpen i kveld.
What does the -en at the end of kafeen mean?
The -en is the definite article (“the”) attached to the noun.
- en kafé = a café
- kafeen = the café
In Norwegian Bokmål, the definite article is usually a suffix added to the noun instead of a separate word like English the. So kafeen already means the café; you never say den kafeen in a simple sentence like this (that would be more like “that café”).
Why is it kafeen and not kaféen? Which spelling is correct?
Both kafeen and kaféen are accepted in Bokmål, but:
- kafé is the original borrowed form (from French café).
- kafe (without the accent) is a fully Norwegianized version.
In practice, you will see:
- en kafé – kaféen
- en kafe – kafeen
They mean the same thing. Modern usage often drops the accent, especially in informal writing, but many signs and menus still use kafé.
Why is it er åpen and not something like er åpne?