Hunden er lydig.

Because hunden is the definite form: the dog.

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word in front.

• en hund = a dog
• hunden = the dog

So Hunden er lydig means The dog is obedient.

Hund is a common gender noun in Bokmål.

That is why its usual forms are:

• en hund = a dog
• hunden = the dog

If it were a neuter noun, you would expect forms like et and -et, but that is not the case here.

Er is the present tense of å være, which means to be.

So:

• jeg er = I am
• du er = you are
• hunden er = the dog is

Unlike English, Norwegian does not change this verb for different persons in the present tense. It stays er.

Because lydig is a predicative adjective here, meaning it comes after er and describes the subject.

With a singular common-gender subject like hunden, the adjective normally stays in its basic form:

• Hunden er lydig = The dog is obedient

You do not use lydige here just because hunden is definite.

A very important point for learners is that adjectives before a noun and adjectives after er do not behave exactly the same way.

Yes.

For example, with a plural subject, you would normally use lydige:

• Hundene er lydige = The dogs are obedient

With this particular adjective, the neuter singular form is also usually lydig, because many adjectives ending in -ig do not add -t:

• Barnet er lydig = The child is obedient

So for lydig, the most noticeable change is often in the plural: lydige.

Yes. Hunden means the dog, so it usually refers to a specific dog already known from the context.

If you say:

• En hund er lydig

that means A dog is obedient or possibly A dog is being obedient, depending on context.

So the sentence with hunden is more specific.

Yes. The normal Norwegian word order in a simple statement is:

subject + verb + complement

So:

• Hunden = subject
• er = verb
• lydig = adjective/complement

That makes Hunden er lydig the natural standard order.

You may sometimes see other orders in special contexts, but for a basic sentence, this is the one to learn first.

You would say:

• den lydige hunden

This is different from Hunden er lydig.

Compare:

• Hunden er lydig = The dog is obedient
• den lydige hunden = the obedient dog

Notice that when an adjective comes before a definite noun, Norwegian usually uses both:

• a definite word in front: den
• a definite ending on the noun: -en

This is often called double definiteness.

Yes, very natural.

Lydig means obedient, and it is commonly used for dogs, children, and anyone behaving as instructed.

For a dog, it often suggests that the dog listens well and follows commands.

So Hunden er lydig sounds like a very normal, idiomatic sentence.

A useful approximation is LY-dee, but with an important warning: the Norwegian y is not like the English y in yes.

It is a rounded vowel, somewhat similar to:

• German ü
• French u

So the hardest part for English speakers is usually the first vowel.

Also, the final g in lydig is not pronounced like a strong English g in careful everyday speech. The word often sounds closer to LY-di than LY-dig.