Filmen er skummel.

The film is scary.

Breakdown of Filmen er skummel.

• være: to be
• filmen: the film
• skummel: scary

Questions & Answers about Filmen er skummel.

What does the -en at the end of filmen mean?

The ending -en is the definite article (“the”) attached to the noun.

• en film = a film / a movie (indefinite)
• filmen = the film / the movie (definite)

Norwegian usually puts the article at the end of the noun instead of in front, unlike English:

• bok = book
  boka / boken = the book
• stol = chair
  stolen = the chair

So filmen er skummel literally is “film-the is scary.”

What gender is film, and what are its main forms?

In Bokmål, film is a masculine noun:

• Indefinite singular: en film – a film
• Definite singular: filmen – the film
• Indefinite plural: filmer – films
• Definite plural: filmene – the films

In many dialects, people may say filma for the plural, but in standard written Bokmål you’ll most often see filmer / filmene.

Why is it filmen er skummel and not filmen er skummelt or skumle?

Because filmen is singular masculine, and the adjective is used predicatively (after “to be”).

With er (is/are), adjectives follow this pattern:

• Masculine/feminine singular: basic form
  
  • filmen er skummel – the film is scary
  • boka er skummel – the book is scary
• Neuter singular: -t
  
  • huset er skummelt – the house is scary
• Plural: -e
  
  • filmene er skumle – the films are scary

So here, filmen → masculine singular → skummel is correct.

How does skummel change with different nouns (gender, number, definite)?

Some common combinations:

• Masculine
  
  • en skummel film – a scary film
  • den skumle filmen – the scary film
• Feminine (Bokmål allows both en and ei)
  
  • ei skummel bok / en skummel bok – a scary book
  • den skumle boka / boken – the scary book
• Neuter
  
  • et skummelt hus – a scary house
  • det skumle huset – the scary house
• Plural
  
  • skumle filmer – scary films
  • de skumle filmene – the scary films

After er (to be), you use the same endings:

• Filmen er skummel.
• Boka er skummel.
• Huset er skummelt.
• Filmene er skumle.

What is the difference between skummel, skremmende, and other “scary” words?

They all relate to being scary but with slightly different nuances:

• skummel – spooky, creepy, eerie.
  Often used for horror movies, dark basements, strange people, etc. Common and neutral.
• skremmende – frightening, alarming.
  Emphasizes the effect of causing fear or shock, also in more serious contexts:
  
  • en skremmende utvikling – a frightening development (e.g. in politics).
• skrekkelig – can mean “terrible” or “horrible” (not only in a scary sense).
• ekkel – gross, nasty, icky; can be both physically disgusting and unpleasant in a creepy way.

For a horror movie, skummel or skremmende are the most natural.

How do you pronounce Filmen er skummel?

A simple approximation (East Norwegian):

• Filmen ≈ FIL-men
  
  • fi like fill
  • -men like English men
• er ≈ air (short)
• skummel ≈ SKUM-mel
  
  • sk is like English sk in sky
  • u is a rounded sound, somewhere between oo in good and the u in dude
  • double mm means the m sound is held a bit longer
  • final el like -el in tunnel

Very roughly: FIL-men air SKUM-mel.

(Exact pronunciation varies by region.)

How would I say “The film is not scary”?

You insert ikke (not) after the verb:

• Filmen er ikke skummel. – The film is not scary.

Basic pattern in main clauses:

Subject – Verb – ikke – rest
Filmen – er – ikke – skummel.

How do I put this sentence in the past: “The film was scary”?

Change er (is) to var (was):

• Filmen var skummel. – The film was scary.

Other relevant forms of å være (to be):

• jeg er / var – I am / was
• du er / var – you are / were
• han/hun er / var – he/she is / was
• vi er / var – we are / were
• dere er / var – you (plural) are / were
• de er / var – they are / were

Is the word order always subject – verb – adjective in sentences like this?

In a neutral statement like this, yes:

• Filmen er skummel. – Subject (Filmen) + Verb (er) + Adjective (skummel)

If you move something to the beginning (time, place, etc.), Norwegian keeps the verb in second position (the V2 rule):

• I går var filmen skummel. – Yesterday the film was scary.
• Etter min mening er filmen skummel. – In my opinion, the film is scary.

So the verb er/var stays in position 2, but the adjective still comes after the verb and subject.

How do I say “The films are scary”?

Make the noun plural definite and the adjective plural:

• Filmene er skumle. – The films are scary.

Structure:

• filmene – the films (definite plural)
• er – are
• skumle – scary (plural form of skummel)

How do I say “a scary film” instead of “the film is scary”?

Two different structures:

1. Filmen er skummel. – The film is scary.

   • skummel is a predicative adjective (comes after “to be”).

2. En skummel film. – A scary film.

   • skummel is an attributive adjective (comes before a noun).

Both use the same basic adjective form for a masculine singular noun: skummel.

Can I drop er and just say Filmen skummel, like in some other languages?

No. In Norwegian you must include the verb å være (er in the present tense) in this type of sentence.

• Correct: Filmen er skummel. – The film is scary.
• Incorrect: ✗ Filmen skummel.

The main exceptions are headlines or very telegraphic styles, but in normal speech and writing you always use er here.