Stykket er spennende.

The play is exciting.

Breakdown of Stykket er spennende.

• være: to be
• spennende: exciting
• stykket: the play

Questions & Answers about Stykket er spennende.

What exactly does stykket mean here? Does it mean play or piece?

Stykke is a neuter noun that can mean several things, depending on context:

• a theatre play: et teaterstykke → stykket can then mean the play
• a piece / bit / chunk of something: et stykke kake (a piece of cake)
• a piece of music: et musikkstykke (a musical piece)

In the sentence Stykket er spennende, the most natural reading without more context is the play is exciting (a theatre play), but it could also be the piece is exciting if you’re talking about music or some other kind of work.

Why is there no separate word for the in stykket er spennende?

Norwegian usually attaches the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

For neuter nouns like stykke:

• et stykke = a piece / a play (indefinite)
• stykket = the piece / the play (definite)

So stykket already includes the meaning of the, which is why you don’t say det stykke for the piece in this basic form. You just say:

• Stykket er spennende = The piece/play is exciting.

What is the base form of stykket, and what are its other forms?

The base dictionary form is stykke (neuter). Here are the common forms in Bokmål:

• Indefinite singular: et stykke → a piece / a play
• Definite singular: stykket → the piece / the play
• Indefinite plural: stykker → pieces / plays
• Definite plural: stykkene → the pieces / the plays

Example sentences:

• Et stykke er kort. – A piece is short.
• Stykket er spennende. – The piece/play is exciting.
• Stykker er ofte korte. – Pieces are often short.
• Stykkene er spennende. – The pieces/plays are exciting.

What kind of word is spennende, and what does the ending -ende mean?

Spennende is originally a present participle from the verb å spenne (to stretch, to tense). Present participles end in -ende and often function as adjectives.

Over time, spennende has become a very common adjective meaning roughly:

• exciting
• thrilling

So in Stykket er spennende, spennende is an adjective describing stykket.

Why doesn’t spennende change form to match stykket in gender or number?

Most “normal” adjectives in Norwegian change a bit:

• en stor bil (a big car)
• et stort hus (a big house)
• store hus (big houses)

But present participles like spennende, interesserende etc. are indeclinable as adjectives – they keep the same form in all genders, numbers, and definiteness:

• et spennende stykke
• en spennende film
• spennende stykker
• Stykket er spennende.
• Filmene er spennende.

So spennende stays spennende; it does not become something like spennendt or spennendee.

Can I change the tense, like Stykket var spennende or Stykket blir spennende?

Yes. The verb er is just the present tense of å være (to be). You can use other tenses:

• Stykket er spennende. – The play is exciting. (now / in general)
• Stykket var spennende. – The play was exciting. (past)
• Stykket blir spennende. – The play is becoming / will be exciting.
• Stykket skal bli spennende. – The play is going to be exciting.

Only the verb changes; stykket and spennende stay the same.

What’s the difference between Stykket er spennende and Det spennende stykket?

They have different structures and uses:

1. Stykket er spennende.

   • Full sentence.
   • Stykket = subject, er = verb, spennende = adjective (predicate).
   • Means that the play/piece has the property of being exciting.

2. Det spennende stykket

   • A noun phrase, not a complete sentence.
   • det = the (definite article), spennende = adjective before the noun, stykket = noun.
   • Means the exciting play/piece.

You could use the second one inside a bigger sentence, for example:

• Det spennende stykket starter klokka åtte.
  The exciting play starts at eight.

How do I say this play is exciting or that play is exciting?

For this and that with neuter nouns like stykke, use:

• dette = this
• det = that

So:

• Dette stykket er spennende. – This play/piece is exciting.
• Det stykket er spennende. – That play/piece is exciting.

In everyday speech, you very often hear:

• Det stykket der er spennende. – That play over there is exciting.
• Dette stykket her er spennende. – This play here is exciting.

How do I pronounce Stykket er spennende?

Approximate pronunciation (Bokmål, standard-ish):

• stykket → [ˈstʏkːə]

  • st as in stay
  • y is like the German ü or French u in tu: say ee in see but round your lips
  • kk = a long k sound; the vowel before it is short
  • final e is a weak sound, like the a in sofa

• er → [ær] or [ɛr]

  • a bit like a short air/ehr.

• spennende → [ˈspɛnːənə]

  • spe like spe in spend
  • nn is a long n
  • both e sounds are like the e in bed
  • final e again is weak, like uh.

Rough English-like approximation:
STY-kkeh ehr SPEN-nen-duh, with a rounded y in stykket.

Can stykke / stykket be used outside theatre, like a piece of cake?

Yes. Stykke is a very general word for piece / bit. Some common uses:

• et stykke kake – a piece of cake
• et stykke brød – a piece/slice of bread
• et stykke musikk – a piece of music
• et stykke arbeid – a piece of work / a bit of work
• et stykke unna – a bit away / some distance away

So Stykket er spennende could be about a theatre play, a musical piece, or even a written piece of work, depending on context.