bygningens

Bygningens is a possessive form used in Danish and Norwegian to indicate something belonging to or associated with a building. It derives from the noun bygning, meaning building or structure, and is the definite form of the word combined with a possessive suffix.

In use, bygningens functions as the determiner in a noun phrase meaning “the building’s …” For example, bygningens tag means “the building’s roof.” The construction shows possession and can modify a following noun to specify ownership or related attribute.

Formation and variations: In Danish, the singular definite form bygningen becomes bygningens in possessive use. The corresponding plural definite form bygningerne takes the possessive ending as bygningernes, meaning “the buildings’.” Norwegian follows a similar pattern, with the possessive formed by adding a possessive suffix to the definite form, yielding a comparable meaning in phrases such as bygningens tak (“the building’s roof”) or bygningenes tak in plural contexts.

Notes and context: Bygningens appears primarily in written Danish or Norwegian, including architectural descriptions, legal texts, and formal prose. It is distinct from the plain noun bygning when possession is not expressed; the latter would not include the possessive ending.

Etymology and related forms: The form is tied to the broader Germanic possessive pattern where the definite noun takes a suffix to indicate ownership. It is related to other possessive constructions in Scandinavian languages and contrasts with plural possessive forms, which use a different ending.

See also: genitive case, Danish grammar, Norwegian grammar, possession in Scandinavian languages.