Politiet er her.

to be

Breakdown of Politiet er her.

• her: here
• politiet: the police

Questions & Answers about Politiet er her.

Where is the word the in Politiet er her?

It is built into politiet.

In Norwegian, the definite article is often added to the end of the noun instead of written as a separate word.

• politi = police / a police force
• politiet = the police

So -et is the definite ending here. That is why there is no separate word for the.

Is politiet singular or plural?

Grammatically, it is usually treated as a singular neuter noun in Norwegian when it means the police as an institution or collective.

That can feel strange to English speakers, because English uses plural agreement:

• English: The police are here
• Norwegian: Politiet er her

So even though English uses are, Norwegian uses the noun politiet, which is not a regular plural form in this sentence.

If you said politiene, that would usually mean the police forces in different places, which is a much less common meaning.

Does politiet mean one police officer or the police as a group?