Kostnaden er høy.

to be

Breakdown of Kostnaden er høy.

• høy: high
• kostnaden: the cost

Questions & Answers about Kostnaden er høy.

Why does kostnad become kostnaden here?

Because -en is the definite singular ending for many common-gender nouns in Bokmål.

• en kostnad = a cost
• kostnaden = the cost

So Kostnaden er høy literally means The cost is high.

What gender is kostnad?

Kostnad is a common-gender noun in Bokmål, so it takes en in the indefinite singular:

• en kostnad
• kostnaden

That is why you do not see et kostnad.

Why is the verb er used?

Er is the present tense of å være (to be).

So:

• er = is / are / am, depending on context

In this sentence, Kostnaden er høy, it simply means The cost is high.

Unlike English, Norwegian verbs do not change according to the subject:

• Jeg er
• du er
• han er
• vi er

It stays er in the present tense.

Why is it høy and not høyt or høye?