Så vidt vi skjønner, har motstanderlaget tapt.

Here så vidt means something like as far as or to the best of our understanding. It is used to show that the speaker is not claiming complete certainty.

A very common pattern in Norwegian is:

• Så vidt jeg vet = as far as I know
• Så vidt jeg kan se = as far as I can see
• Så vidt vi skjønner = as far as we understand / as far as we can tell

So it adds a cautious, limited point of view.

This is because Norwegian follows the V2 rule in main clauses: the finite verb usually comes in the second position.

The sentence starts with Så vidt vi skjønner, which takes the first slot. Because of that, the finite verb har must come next:

• Så vidt vi skjønner, har motstanderlaget tapt.

If you removed that opening part, you would get the more basic word order:

• Motstanderlaget har tapt.

So the inversion is completely normal.

Skjønner is the present tense of å skjønne, which means to understand.

So:

• å skjønne = to understand
• jeg skjønner = I understand
• vi skjønner = we understand

In this sentence it has the sense of understand / can tell / gather from the situation.

They are very close in meaning, and in many contexts they can both be translated as to understand.

However, å skjønne often feels a bit more everyday and conversational, while å forstå can sound slightly more neutral or formal.

So these are both possible:

• Så vidt vi skjønner
• Så vidt vi forstår

Both are natural, though skjønner may sound a little more spoken and idiomatic here.

Norwegian often makes compound nouns by joining words together.

Motstanderlaget is made up of:

• motstander = opponent
• lag = team
• -et = the definite ending for a neuter noun

So:

• et motstanderlag = an opposing team
• motstanderlaget = the opposing team

This is very typical in Norwegian: instead of writing separate words, they are combined into one compound noun.

In Norwegian compounds, the last part is the main noun, and that is the part that takes the definite ending.

So:

• motstander + lag → motstanderlag
• motstanderlaget = the opposing team

You do not put a definite ending on every part. This is a general rule with compound nouns in Norwegian.

For example:

• fotballkamp = football match
• fotballkampen = the football match

The first element modifies the last one, but the last one is the grammatical head.

Har tapt is the present perfect:

• har = have/has
• tapt = lost (past participle)

So har tapt means has lost / have lost.

Norwegian often uses the present perfect when talking about a result that is relevant now. In this sentence, the idea is that the opposing team’s loss is the current conclusion.

If you said tapte, that would be the simple past:

• motstanderlaget tapte = the opposing team lost

Both are possible in Norwegian, but har tapt focuses more on the completed result.

Tapt is the past participle of å tape.

Forms:

• å tape = to lose
• taper = lose / is losing
• tapte = lost
• tapt = lost (past participle)

With har, the past participle forms the present perfect:

• har tapt = has/have lost

Yes, the comma is normal here.

Så vidt vi skjønner is an introductory clause-like expression before the main clause, so it is separated by a comma:

• Så vidt vi skjønner, har motstanderlaget tapt.

This helps show where the introductory part ends and where the main statement begins.

Yes. It is a very useful expression and can be reused in many contexts whenever you want to sound careful or limited in what you claim.

For example:

• Så vidt vi skjønner, kommer de i morgen.
• Så vidt jeg vet, er han hjemme.
• Så vidt jeg kan se, er alt i orden.

The general idea is: based on what we know / understand right now.

A learner may notice that skj is not pronounced the way it looks.

In most standard speech, skj is pronounced roughly like sh in English, though the exact sound can vary by dialect.

Also, ø is a vowel sound that English does not really have. It is the same letter you see in words like før, søster, and høre.

So skjønner does not sound like it is spelled in English terms. Paying attention to skj and ø is especially important here.