Flertallet er enig i planen.

The majority agrees with the plan.

Breakdown of Flertallet er enig i planen.

• planen: the plan
• flertallet: the majority
• være enig i: to agree with

Questions & Answers about Flertallet er enig i planen.

Why is flertallet in the definite form? Could you also say flertall here?

Flertall means “a majority / majority (in general)” and is neuter: et flertall.
Flertallet means “the majority”, a specific one that both speaker and listener know about.

In this sentence we’re clearly talking about a concrete group, for example:

• the majority of the committee
• the majority of the voters
• the majority of the members

So Norwegian uses the definite form: flertallet.

You could say et flertall er enig i planen (“a majority agrees with the plan”), but that would mean some majority (not yet identified). With flertallet, it’s a known, specific majority.

Is flertallet grammatically singular or plural? Why is it er enig and not er enige?

Grammatically, flertall is neuter singular: et flertall – flertallet.

The adjective enig (“in agreement”) behaves like this in Bokmål:

• singular (m/f and neuter): enig
• plural: enige

So strictly according to grammar, the default is:

• Flertallet er enig. – “The majority is in agreement.”

However, flertallet refers to multiple people, so you will also see:

• Flertallet er enige. – “The majority are in agreement (the individual members agree).”

Both forms occur in real usage:

• Flertallet er enig – treats the majority as one unit.
• Flertallet er enige – highlights that the people in the majority each agree.

In many neutral contexts, er enig (singular agreement) is most common and feels slightly more formal/standard.