Personen venter ute.

The person is waiting outside.

Breakdown of Personen venter ute.

• ute: outside
• vente: to wait
• personen: the person

Questions & Answers about Personen venter ute.

Why is personen one word, and why doesn’t it use a separate word for the?

In Norwegian, the definite article is often attached to the end of the noun instead of standing before it.

• person = a person / person
• personen = the person

So -en here is the definite ending.

This is very common in Norwegian:

• en bil = a car
• bilen = the car
• en gutt = a boy
• gutten = the boy

So personen venter ute literally looks like person-the waits outside, but in natural English it is the person is waiting outside.

Could I also say den personen?

Yes, but it means something a little different.

• personen = the person
• den personen = that person or that particular person

So in your sentence:

• Personen venter ute. = The person is waiting outside.
• Den personen venter ute. = That person is waiting outside.

Using den adds emphasis or points to a specific person in contrast to others.

Why is there no word for is in is waiting?