Så vidt lagkapteinen kan se, er poengtavlen feil.

Yes—here så vidt is used in the expression så vidt ... kan se, which means something like as far as ... can tell/see.

So:

• Så vidt lagkapteinen kan se = As far as the team captain can see / As far as the team captain can tell

It does not mean physical sight only. In this expression, se often extends to judge, tell, or determine, much like English see can.

A useful thing to remember is that så vidt has several uses in Norwegian, but in this sentence it is part of a fixed pattern:

• Så vidt jeg kan se ... = As far as I can see ...
• Så vidt vi vet ... = As far as we know ...

Because the sentence begins with the introductory phrase Så vidt lagkapteinen kan se, Norwegian uses verb-second word order.

In main clauses, Norwegian normally puts the finite verb in the second position. When something other than the subject comes first, the verb still stays second, and the subject moves after it.

So the underlying basic order is:

• Poengtavlen er feil. = The scoreboard is wrong.

But when the sentence starts with Så vidt lagkapteinen kan se, the structure becomes:

• Så vidt lagkapteinen kan se, er poengtavlen feil.

This is very common in Norwegian:

• I dag kommer han. = Today he is coming.
• Etter min mening er dette riktig. = In my opinion, this is correct.

The comma separates the introductory clause from the main clause.

Here, Så vidt lagkapteinen kan se functions as a fronted clause-like expression, and the comma helps mark that the main statement begins afterward:

• Så vidt lagkapteinen kan se, | er poengtavlen feil.

In English, you would often do the same:

• As far as the team captain can see, the scoreboard is wrong.

So the comma is both natural and helpful for readability.

Because Norwegian very often forms compound nouns as a single word, where English often uses two words.

So:

• lag = team
• kaptein = captain
• lagkaptein = team captain
• lagkapteinen = the team captain

This is one of the most important spelling habits to get used to in Norwegian. English learners often want to write compounds as separate words, but Norwegian usually joins them:

• fotballkamp = football match / soccer game
• skolebok = school book / textbook
• poengtavle = scoreboard

The ending -en is the definite article attached to the noun. Norwegian usually puts the at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word.

So:

• en lagkaptein = a team captain
• lagkapteinen = the team captain

This is called the suffixed definite article.

The same thing happens with:

• en poengtavle = a scoreboard
• poengtavlen = the scoreboard

So both lagkapteinen and poengtavlen are definite nouns.

Both can be possible, depending on style, dialect, and the noun’s gender usage.

Many feminine nouns in Bokmål can take either:

• -en (common gender style)
• -a (feminine style)

So you may see:

• poengtavlen
• poengtavla

Both can mean the scoreboard.

Using -en is very common in Bokmål, even for nouns that may also be treated as feminine. Learners will often encounter both patterns, so the important thing is to recognize that they can both be correct depending on the variety of Norwegian being used.

Here feil functions as a predicate adjective (or adjective-like word), describing poengtavlen after the verb er.

So:

• Poengtavlen er feil. = The scoreboard is wrong.

This is similar to:

• Boken er ny. = The book is new.
• Døren er åpen. = The door is open.

A useful detail: feil can also be a noun in other contexts:

• en feil = a mistake / an error

But in this sentence, it is describing the scoreboard, so it works adjectivally.

Because feil is one of those words that often stays the same in adjective use.

With many Norwegian adjectives, you expect changes such as:

• fin
• fint
• fine

But feil commonly remains feil:

• en feil adresse = a wrong address
• et feil nummer = a wrong number
• adressen er feil = the address is wrong

So it is normal that the sentence says poengtavlen er feil, not something like feilt.

Not necessarily. In this kind of expression, kan se often means can tell, can judge, or can determine.

So:

• Så vidt lagkapteinen kan se is often closer in sense to As far as the team captain can tell

This is very similar to English, where I can see can also mean I understand / I can tell, not just physical vision.

Normally, no—not in this sentence.

The natural expression is simply:

• Så vidt lagkapteinen kan se

Adding som here would sound unnatural. The phrase så vidt already works as part of this fixed expression.

So for learners, it is best to memorize:

• Så vidt jeg kan se ...
• Så vidt hun kan forstå ...
• Så vidt vi vet ...

without inserting som.

Because Norwegian does not need an extra that in this structure.

The first part is an introductory expression:

• Så vidt lagkapteinen kan se

After that, the main clause simply follows:

• er poengtavlen feil

English also often works without that here:

• As far as the team captain can see, the scoreboard is wrong.

So the Norwegian sentence is not missing anything; it is complete as it stands.

Yes, it often can, though the style and emphasis change.

For example:

• Poengtavlen er feil, så vidt lagkapteinen kan se.

This puts the main claim first and adds the limitation afterward. That can sound slightly more like an afterthought or qualification.

The original version:

• Så vidt lagkapteinen kan se, er poengtavlen feil.

puts the speaker’s caution first, which is often very natural in careful or formal statements.

It sounds mostly neutral and fairly natural. It is not especially casual, but it is not overly formal either.

The phrase så vidt ... kan se is common in both speech and writing when someone wants to sound careful or avoid stating something too absolutely.

So the sentence has a slightly cautious tone:

• the speaker is not saying the scoreboard is definitely wrong in every possible sense
• only that it appears wrong as far as the team captain can tell

That kind of phrasing is very common in Norwegian.