Åpnet

Åpnet is the past participle of the Norwegian verb åpne, meaning to open. It denotes a completed action of opening or something that has been opened. In standard Bokmål and Nynorsk, åpnet is used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect or passive constructions, for example døren er åpnet (the door has been opened) or døren ble åpnet (the door was opened).

In contrast, the form åpen describes a current state of being open, and is used as an adjective in predicative position, for example butikken er åpen (the store is open). The form åpent is used as an adjective or adverb for neuter nouns in predicative position, for example vinduet står åpent (the window is open).

Grammatical choice depends on tense and nuance. Open state (åpen/åpenhet) emphasizes the current condition, while åpnet emphasizes the action of having opened something. The two-key contrasts can be illustrated with sentences: Døren er åpen (the door is open) vs. Døren er åpnet (the door has been opened). Dialects and styles may vary slightly in preference for certain forms.

Etymology traces åpnet to Old Norse opna, from the verb åpne, and is related to the English word open. The infinitive form is åpne; the related adjective forms include åpen and åpent, used for different grammatical contexts.

See also: åpen (open, adjective), åpne (to open), åpen kildekode (open source).