Støyen kan ødelegge konsentrasjonen min.

The noise can destroy my concentration.

Breakdown of Støyen kan ødelegge konsentrasjonen min.

• kunne: can
• min: my
• støyen: the noise
• konsentrasjonen: the concentration
• ødelegge: to destroy

Questions & Answers about Støyen kan ødelegge konsentrasjonen min.

Why is it støyen and not just støy?

Støy means noise in general.
Støyen is the definite form: the noise.

• Støy kan ødelegge konsentrasjonen min. = Noise (in general) can destroy my concentration.
• Støyen kan ødelegge konsentrasjonen min. = The (particular) noise can destroy my concentration.

Using støyen usually means some specific noise you and the listener both know about (for example, the noise from the construction outside).

What gender is støy, and what does the -en ending mean?

Støy is a masculine noun in Norwegian.

The definite singular endings for masculine nouns are:

• Indefinite: en støy (a noise)
• Definite: støyen (the noise)

So støy + -en → støyen (the noise).

Could I say Støy kan ødelegge konsentrasjonen min without the -en?

Yes, that is grammatically correct, but the meaning shifts slightly:

• Støy kan ødelegge konsentrasjonen min. = Noise in general can destroy my concentration.
• Støyen kan ødelegge konsentrasjonen min. = The specific noise (that we’re talking about right now) can destroy my concentration.

So you choose støy vs støyen depending on whether you mean noise in general or a particular, known noise.

Why is it kan ødelegge and not kan ødelegger?

In Norwegian, after a modal verb like kan (can), vil (will), skal (shall), må (must), the main verb is always in the infinitive, without -r:

• Jeg kan ødelegge (I can destroy)
• Jeg vil spise (I want to eat)
• Jeg skal sove (I shall / will sleep)

So ødelegge is the infinitive form.
Ødelegger (with -r) is the present tense on its own:

• Støy ødelegger konsentrasjonen min. = Noise destroys my concentration.

But with kan, you must say kan ødelegge, never kan ødelegger.

What is the difference between kan ødelegge and just ødelegger?

• ødelegger (present tense) = actually destroys / is destroying.

  • Støy ødelegger konsentrasjonen min. = Noise destroys my concentration (it happens regularly / habitually).

• kan ødelegge (modal verb + infinitive) = can / is capable of destroying, but not necessarily that it always does.

  • Støyen kan ødelegge konsentrasjonen min. = The noise can destroy my concentration (it has the potential to do so).

So kan softens it from a statement of fact to a statement of possibility or ability.

Why is it konsentrasjonen min and not min konsentrasjon?

Both are grammatically correct, but they are not used in exactly the same way or with the same frequency in Bokmål.

• konsentrasjonen min = the concentration my

  • Definite noun (konsentrasjonen) + possessive (min).
  • This is the most common structure in everyday Norwegian, especially when the possessive is not emphasized.

• min konsentrasjon = my concentration

  • Possessive (min) + indefinite noun (konsentrasjon).
  • This tends to sound a bit more formal, emphatic, or contrastive:
    • Min konsentrasjon er ikke problemet. = My concentration is not the problem.

In your sentence, konsentrasjonen min is the natural, neutral choice.

Why is the noun definite when there is already a possessive? Isn’t that “double”?

Yes, this is often called “double definiteness” and it is normal in Norwegian (and other Scandinavian languages).

Pattern:

• Definite suffix on the noun + possessive:
  • boken min = my book
  • bilen din = your car
  • konsentrasjonen min = my concentration

So you usually say:

• konsentrasjonen min, not konsentrasjon min
• boken min, not bok min

If you put the possessive before the noun, then the noun is indefinite:

• min konsentrasjon, min bok, min bil

Can I leave out min and just say Støyen kan ødelegge konsentrasjonen?

Yes, you can, and it is grammatically correct.

Meaning-wise:

• Støyen kan ødelegge konsentrasjonen min.
  Emphasizes my concentration.

• Støyen kan ødelegge konsentrasjonen.
  More general: the concentration (for example, everyone’s concentration in the room).

Whether you include min depends on whether you want to make it personal.

What’s the difference between støy and bråk?

Both can often be translated as noise, but they have slightly different flavors:

• støy: more neutral, often used for technical / environmental noise

  • flystøy (airplane noise), trafikkstøy (traffic noise).

• bråk: more like racket, commotion, disturbance, often from people or chaotic situations

  • Det er mye bråk i klasserommet. = There’s a lot of noise/racket in the classroom.

In your sentence, you could also say:

• Bråket kan ødelegge konsentrasjonen min.

That would typically suggest noisy people, kids, loud neighbors, etc.

Is the word order fixed, or could I say Støyen kan min konsentrasjon ødelegge like in German?

Norwegian word order is much less flexible than German. In ordinary sentences, the pattern is:

Subject – (modal) verb – infinitive – object

So:

• Støyen (subject)
• kan (modal verb)
• ødelegge (infinitive/main verb)
• konsentrasjonen min (object)

✅ Støyen kan ødelegge konsentrasjonen min.
❌ Støyen kan min konsentrasjon ødelegge. (ungrammatical in normal Norwegian)

How do you pronounce støyen and ødelegge?

Approximate guidance (Bokmål pronunciation):

• støyen

  • støy: similar to English “stuhy” (like “toy” but with rounded lips at the start).
  • -en: like English “en” in “taken” (unstressed “uhn”).
  • Together: STØY-en (two syllables).

• ødelegge

  • ø: like the vowel in French “peu” or German “schön”, a rounded “e”-sound.
  • ø-de-leg-ge: four syllables, stress on the first: Ø-de-leg-ge.
  • The gg here is a hard g sound (like English “get”), not like English “j”.

If you can say German “schön” or French “bleu”, that ø sound is very close to Norwegian ø.