I og med at fellesarealet er stengt, møtes sameiet ute.

I og med at means something like since, as, or given that. It introduces the reason or background for what follows.

It is close to fordi (because), but the tone is a little different:

• fordi = a straightforward because
• i og med at = slightly more explanatory, often like seeing that or given that

So I og med at fellesarealet er stengt... sounds a bit like setting up the situation before giving the result.

Yes, in this sentence it is part of the fixed conjunction i og med at.

So:

• i og med at = since / given that

Without at, i og med can mean something else in other contexts, so here you should learn i og med at as one unit.

Fellesarealet is made up of:

• felles = shared / common
• areal = area
• -et = the definite ending for a neuter noun

So:

• et fellesareal = a common area
• fellesarealet = the common area

Norwegian often attaches the to the end of the noun instead of putting a separate word before it.

Stengt is the past participle of stenge (to close / shut), but here it functions like an adjective after er.

So:

• er stengt = is closed

This describes a state, not the action of someone closing it right now.

Compare:

• De stenger fellesarealet. = They are closing the common area.
• Fellesarealet er stengt. = The common area is closed.

Sameiet is the definite form of sameie.

In housing contexts, sameie often refers to a condominium association, owners’ association, or co-owned property arrangement. So sameiet here means something like the condo association / the homeowners’ association / the co-owners’ community, depending on context.

It is grammatically singular, even though it refers to a group of people.

Because sameiet is treated as one organization or unit.

This is similar to English expressions like:

• the committee meets
• the company decides
• the association gathers

Even though many people are involved, the noun itself is singular.

This is a very common question.

• møter usually means meets or meet(s) someone/something
• møtes often means meet each other or gather / hold a meeting

In this sentence, møtes shows that the members of the association are meeting together.

So:

• Sameiet møter styret. = The association meets the board
• Sameiet møtes ute. = The association meets outside / the members meet outside

The -s form is often used for reciprocal meaning like meet one another.

Because Norwegian uses verb-second word order in main clauses.

The sentence begins with the subordinate clause:

• I og med at fellesarealet er stengt

After that fronted clause, the main clause must still keep the finite verb in second position. That is why you get:

• ..., møtes sameiet ute

If there were no fronted clause, the normal order would be:

• Sameiet møtes ute.

So the inversion happens because the sentence starts with something other than the subject.

Ute means outside / outdoors.

It is an adverb, so no preposition is needed here:

• møtes ute = meet outside

Utenfor usually means outside in relation to something specific, more like outside of:

• utenfor bygget = outside the building

So:

• ute = outdoors, not inside
• utenfor = outside a particular place

In this sentence, ute is the natural choice because the idea is simply that the meeting happens outdoors.

Because the sentence starts with a subordinate clause, and in Norwegian it is normal to separate a subordinate clause from the main clause with a comma.

So the structure is:

• I og med at fellesarealet er stengt, = subordinate clause
• møtes sameiet ute. = main clause

The comma helps show where the background/reason ends and the main statement begins.

Yes. The original sentence is perfectly natural, but i og med at can sound a bit more formal or explanatory than everyday speech.

Some common alternatives are:

• Siden fellesarealet er stengt, møtes sameiet ute.
• Fordi fellesarealet er stengt, møtes sameiet ute.

These are very similar in meaning.

The original version is not strange at all; it just has a slightly more official or written feel.

No. Even though English speakers may first read it that way, sameiet is the subject here, not the object.

Because of Norwegian word order, the verb comes before the subject after the opening clause:

• møtes = finite verb
• sameiet = subject
• ute = adverb

So the structure is really:

• [Because the common area is closed], [meets] [the association] [outside].

In natural English, that becomes:

• Because the common area is closed, the association meets outside.

So this is a word-order issue, not an object after the verb.