Bilen er ødelagt, så vi tar bussen i stedet.

to be

Breakdown of Bilen er ødelagt, så vi tar bussen i stedet.

• vi: we
• bilen: the car
• så: so

Questions & Answers about Bilen er ødelagt, så vi tar bussen i stedet.

Why is it Bilen and not en bil?

Bilen is the definite form of bil (the car). Norwegian often uses the definite form when talking about a specific, known thing in the situation (your car, the car you’re using).

• en bil = a car (any car, new information)
• bilen = the car (specific/known)

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What is ødelagt grammatically—an adjective or a verb form?

In Bilen er ødelagt, ødelagt functions like an adjective (a subject complement) meaning broken/damaged. Form-wise, it’s the past participle of å ødelegge (to ruin/break), and Norwegian commonly uses er + past participle as a result state:

• er ødelagt ≈ is broken (the result)

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Why is it ødelagt (with -t) and not ødelag or ødelagte?