Ødelegger

Ødelegger is the present tense form of the Norwegian verb å ødelegge, meaning to ruin or destroy something. It is transitive and used about physical damage as well as metaphorical or systemic harm. The subject performs the action on an object: for example, Eksperimentet ødelegger resultatene. It can describe events that compromise people, objects, ecosystems, plans, or reputations.

Grammatical information: present tense ødelegger (jeg ødelegger; du ødelegger; han/hun/den/det ødelegger; vi/dere/de ødelegger). The simple past tense is ødela. The past participle is ødelagt, used with har or hadde to form perfect or pluperfect: har ødelagt, hadde ødelagt.

Usage notes: While literal destruction is common, ødelegge is frequently used metaphorically, for example in discussions of policy decisions, technology, or environmental impact. Spelling follows standard Norwegian conjugation; the initial ø is a common Norwegian vowel and remains consistent across tenses.

See also: å ødelegge; ødelagt; ødela.