Denne puten er myk.

This cushion is soft.

Breakdown of Denne puten er myk.

• være: to be
• denne: this
• puten: the cushion
• myk: smooth

Questions & Answers about Denne puten er myk.

Why do we use denne here and not dette or den?

Norwegian has three common demonstratives in the singular:

• denne – this for common gender nouns (en-words)
• dette – this for neuter nouns (et-words)
• den – that (or sometimes just the) for common gender nouns

The noun pute (pillow) is a common gender noun (it takes en in the indefinite: en pute), so the matching this-word is denne:

• denne puten – this pillow
• dette huset – this house (because hus is neuter: et hus)

You could say den puten as well, which usually corresponds more to that pillow or just the pillow with extra emphasis.

Why is it puten and not just pute?

Puten is the definite form: the pillow.

For common gender nouns:

• Indefinite singular: en pute – a pillow
• Definite singular: puten – the pillow

In Norwegian, when you use a demonstrative like denne, you normally combine it with the definite form of the noun:

• ❌ denne pute – incorrect in standard Bokmål
• ✅ denne puten – this pillow

So denne puten literally has both this and the, but that is how Norwegian works: demonstrative + definite-suffixed noun.

What is the grammatical gender of pute, and why does that matter?

Pute is a common gender noun (an en-word).

This matters because:

1. It decides the demonstrative:

   • common gender: denne puten
   • neuter: dette huset

2. It affects adjective agreement when needed:

   • common gender: puten er myk
   • neuter: huset er mykt

So because pute is common gender, we say denne, puten, and myk (not dette, putet, or mykt).

Could I just say Puten er myk instead of Denne puten er myk? What is the difference?

Yes, both are correct, but they mean slightly different things:

• Puten er myk – The pillow is soft.
  You are talking about a specific pillow that both speakers know about from context, but you are not stressing this vs that.

• Denne puten er myk – This pillow is soft.
  You are pointing out or highlighting a particular pillow, typically something close to you or mentally in focus, contrasting it with other pillows.

So denne adds a this-feeling and extra emphasis on that specific pillow.

Why is it myk and not mykt or myke?

Adjectives in Norwegian change form depending on gender and number, and also on how they are used. In a sentence like this, the adjective is predicative (it comes after the verb er).

Predicative forms (after er, blir, etc.):

• Common gender singular: Bilen er myk. – The car is soft.
• Neuter singular: Huset er mykt. – The house is soft.
• Plural (both genders): Putene er myke. – The pillows are soft.

Since pute is common gender and singular, we use the base form myk:

• Denne puten er myk.

You would only use mykt if the subject were a neuter noun (et hus er mykt), or myke with plural (disse putene er myke).

Does myk also change when it comes before the noun, like a soft pillow?

Yes. When the adjective comes before a noun (attributive position), it has slightly different rules.

Indefinite:

• en myk pute – a soft pillow (common, singular)
• et mykt teppe – a soft blanket (neuter, singular)
• myke puter – soft pillows (plural)

Definite (with article + suffix):

• den myke puten – the soft pillow
• det myke teppet – the soft blanket
• de myke putene – the soft pillows

So:

• After er: puten er myk
• Before noun: den myke puten

Same adjective, but it gets -t with neuter and -e with plural/definite when it is before the noun.

Why do we need er in the sentence? Could Norwegian ever say something like Denne puten myk?

You must have a verb here. In Norwegian, you cannot normally drop er in this kind of sentence.

Correct:

• Denne puten er myk. – This pillow is soft.

Incorrect in standard Norwegian:

• ❌ Denne puten myk.

The verb er (is) links the subject (denne puten) to the adjective (myk). That is obligatory in this kind of sentence.

How do you pronounce denne, puten, and myk?

Approximate pronunciations (for standard Eastern Norwegian):

• denne – roughly DEN-neh

  • d as in day
  • e as in bet
  • Double n means a bit longer n sound.

• puten – roughly POO-ten, but with rounded lips

  • u is like a long u with very rounded lips, between English oo in food and German ü.
  • First syllable stressed: PÚ-ten.

• myk – roughly between mewk and mook, with tightly rounded lips

  • y is a front rounded vowel, like German ü in über.
  • Consonant k like k in skin (not aspirated much).

In IPA (approximate):

• denne – /ˈdɛnːə/
• puten – /ˈpʉːtən/
• myk – /myːk/

Can I use a feminine form with pute, like ei pute and puta?

Yes, in Bokmål pute can be treated as either:

• common gender: en pute – puten
• feminine: ei pute – puta

Both patterns are grammatically correct Bokmål. Many speakers prefer the common gender form in writing (en pute – puten), but in speech you will also hear:

• denne puta er myk – this pillow is soft

So all of these are possible:

• denne puten er myk
• denne puta er myk

They mean the same thing; it is mainly a style and dialect preference.

Can I add an adverb like very in this sentence, and where would it go?

Yes. Adverbs like veldig (very) usually go before the adjective in this type of sentence:

• Denne puten er veldig myk. – This pillow is very soft.
• Puten er fortsatt myk. – The pillow is still soft.

Word order pattern:

[Subject] + er + [adverb] + [adjective]

So you would not split denne and puten with the adverb:

• ❌ Denne veldig puten er myk. – incorrect
• ✅ Denne puten er veldig myk.

How would I say the same thing in the past tense?

You only need to change the verb er (is) to its past tense var (was):

• Denne puten er myk. – This pillow is soft.
• Denne puten var myk. – This pillow was soft.

Everything else ( denne, puten, myk) stays the same.