Familien deler sorgen.

Familien is the definite singular form of familie (family).

• en familie = a family
• familien = the family

In Norwegian, definiteness is often added as an ending on the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

So:

• familie = family
• familien = the family

Sorgen is the definite form of sorg (grief, sorrow).

• sorg = sorrow / grief
• sorgen = the sorrow / the grief

Norwegian often uses the definite form where English might or might not use the, depending on context. In this sentence, sorgen suggests a specific sorrow or grief that is being referred to.

Deler is the present tense of dele, meaning to share.

• å dele = to share
• deler = share / shares / am sharing / is sharing / are sharing, depending on context

Norwegian verbs do not change according to the subject the way English verbs do.

For example:

• jeg deler = I share
• du deler = you share
• familien deler = the family shares

The verb stays deler in all of these.

In Norwegian, verbs are much simpler than in English in this way. The verb form usually stays the same regardless of who is doing the action.

Compare:

• English: I share, she shares
• Norwegian: jeg deler, hun deler

So familien deler uses the normal present-tense verb form. There is no special -s ending like in English shares.

The word order is:

Subject + Verb + Object

• Familien = subject
• deler = verb
• sorgen = object

So this is a very standard Norwegian main clause.

It works just like English here:

• The family
  • shares
    • the sorrow

Yes. Norwegian present tense often covers both:

• shares
• is sharing

So Familien deler sorgen could mean either:

• The family shares the sorrow
• The family is sharing the sorrow

The exact meaning depends on context.

Grammatically, familien is singular.

Even though a family contains several people, the noun itself is treated as a singular unit:

• familien deler
• not familien deler/dele with a plural verb distinction, because Norwegian does not make that distinction in the verb anyway

This is similar to English the family being a singular noun in form, although usage can vary in British English depending on whether the group is being thought of as one unit or as individuals.

Because Norwegian usually puts definiteness on the noun itself as a suffix.

Instead of:

• the family
• the sorrow

Norwegian uses:

• familien
• sorgen

This is one of the most important differences from English.

A simple comparison:

• en bil = a car
• bilen = the car

The same pattern is used here:

• en familie = a family
• familien = the family

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

fa-mi-LEE-en DEH-ler SOR-gen

A few notes:

• Familien has four syllables: fa-mi-li-en
• deler has two syllables: de-ler
• sorgen has two syllables: sor-gen

The exact pronunciation depends somewhat on accent and dialect, but in standard Bokmål-based pronunciation, that guide is a reasonable starting point.

Yes, but it would mean something slightly different.

• Familien deler sorgen = The family shares the sorrow / the grief
• Familien deler sorg = The family shares sorrow / shares grief

Using sorgen points to a more specific, identified sorrow. Using sorg is more general or abstract.

Both are possible Norwegian, but sorgen sounds more tied to a particular situation.

A good way to break it down is:

• en familie = a family
• å dele = to share
• en sorg = a sorrow / grief

From those dictionary forms, the sentence uses:

• familien = definite singular of familie
• deler = present tense of dele
• sorgen = definite singular of sorg

Learning both the dictionary form and the form used in the sentence is very helpful in Norwegian.