Word
Sengetøyet skiftes hver lørdag.
Meaning
The bed linen is changed every Saturday.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Sengetøyet skiftes hver lørdag.
hver
every
lørdagen
the Saturday
sengetøyet
the bed linen
skiftes
to be changed
Questions & Answers about Sengetøyet skiftes hver lørdag.
Why is it sengetøyet and not just sengetøy?
Sengetøyet is the definite form: “the bed linen”, while sengetøy is indefinite: “bed linen” in general.
In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun:
- sengetøy = bed linen (in general)
- sengetøyet = the bed linen (specific)
In this sentence, we’re talking about the specific bed linen in this room/place, so the definite form sengetøyet is used.
What does the -et ending in sengetøyet mean?
The -et ending is the definite singular ending for neuter nouns.
- et sengetøy = (a) set of bed linen (neuter, indefinite)
- sengetøyet = the bed linen (neuter, definite singular)
So -et here functions like “the” in English, but attached to the noun instead of standing in front of it.
What grammatical form is skiftes? Why does it end in -s?