Opplevelsen var spennende.

The experience was exciting.

Breakdown of Opplevelsen var spennende.

• være: to be
• spennende: exciting
• opplevelsen: the experience

Questions & Answers about Opplevelsen var spennende.

Why is there no separate word for the before opplevelsen?

Norwegian usually attaches the definite article (the) to the end of the noun instead of putting a separate word in front.

• Base (indefinite) form: opplevelse = experience
• Definite form: opplevelsen = the experience

So, instead of the experience, Norwegian has opplevelsen (opplevelse + -n / -en as the definite ending).
That is why there is no separate the in front of the noun.

What is the dictionary form of opplevelsen, and what gender is it?

The dictionary form is the indefinite singular: opplevelse.

• opplevelse is a common-gender noun (an en‑word).
• Indefinite singular: en opplevelse
• Definite singular: opplevelsen
• Indefinite plural: opplevelser
• Definite plural: opplevelsene

Being an en‑word means you use the article en in the indefinite: en opplevelse.

How would I say an experience instead of the experience?

Use the indefinite article en and the base form of the noun:

• en opplevelse = an experience

So, if you wanted a similar sentence with an experience, you could say:

• Det var en spennende opplevelse.
  (It was an exciting experience.)

What tense is var, and what would the present‑tense version of the sentence be?

Var is the past tense of the verb å være (to be).

Basic forms of å være:

• er = am / is / are (present)
• var = was / were (past)
• har vært = has / have been (present perfect)

So:

• Past: Opplevelsen var spennende. = The experience was exciting.
• Present: Opplevelsen er spennende. = The experience is exciting.

Why does the adjective spennende not change form here?

Spennende belongs to a group of adjectives in Norwegian that do not change form for gender, number, or definiteness. They typically end in -ende (often related to an English -ing form).

So you use spennende in all of these:

• en spennende film (common gender, singular)
• ei spennende bok (feminine, singular)
• et spennende spill (neuter, singular)
• spennende filmer (plural)
• filmen er spennende (predicate after er/var)
• opplevelsen var spennende

By contrast, a “normal” adjective like dyr (expensive) changes:

• en dyr bil, et dyrt hus, dyre biler.

How would I say The experiences were exciting?

You need the definite plural of the noun and the past tense of the verb:

• Opplevelsene var spennende.

Breakdown:

• opplevelser = experiences (indefinite plural)
• opplevelsene = the experiences (definite plural)
• var = were
• spennende stays the same.

Can I also say Det var en spennende opplevelse, and what is the difference in nuance?

Yes, you can, and both are very natural:

1. Opplevelsen var spennende.
   → Focuses on a specific experience you and the listener already know about. It’s like you’re commenting on that particular experience.

2. Det var en spennende opplevelse.
   → More like an overall evaluation: That was an exciting experience. It introduces it more loosely or sums it up.

In many contexts, both can translate the same way into English, but:

• Opplevelsen var spennende puts the experience itself as the clear subject.
• Det var en spennende opplevelse starts with the dummy subject det (it/that) and then mentions the experience as new information.

How do you pronounce opplevelsen and spennende?

In a simple, English-based approximation (for Bokmål / standard eastern Norwegian):

• opplevelsen ≈ OP‑play‑vel‑sen

  • Stress on the second syllable: OP‑PLEV‑elsen → actually OPP‑LEV‑el‑sen, with main stress on LEV.
  • The double pp makes the p sound a bit “longer” and helps close the preceding vowel.

• spennende ≈ SPEN‑en‑de

  • Stress on the first syllable: SPENN‑ende.
  • The double nn also indicates a slightly longer n sound and a short e before it.

In IPA (roughly):

• opplevelsen: [ʊpˈleːvəl.sən]
• spennende: [ˈspɛnːənə]

How would I turn this into a yes/no question like Was the experience exciting?

In Norwegian yes/no questions, the verb usually comes first:

• Statement: Opplevelsen var spennende.
• Yes/no question: Var opplevelsen spennende? = Was the experience exciting?

Word order:

1. Var (verb)
2. opplevelsen (subject)
3. spennende (adjective)

The structure is very similar to English, but there’s no extra auxiliary like did or was separate from var—you just move var to the front.

When should I use opplevelsen (definite) versus en opplevelse (indefinite)?

Use opplevelsen (definite) when you talk about a specific, already known experience:

• Opplevelsen var spennende.
  → The experience (that we both know about) was exciting.

Use en opplevelse (indefinite) when you introduce an experience or talk about it more generally / non‑specifically:

• Det var en spennende opplevelse.
  → It was an exciting experience (not previously identified).
• Jeg vil ha en ny opplevelse.
  → I want a new experience.

So:

• opplevelsen = that particular experience
• en opplevelse = one (unspecified) experience