Vi risikerer å tape.

• Vi = subject pronoun, we
• risikerer = finite verb, present tense of å risikere
• å tape = infinitive phrase, literally to lose

So the structure is:

subject + present-tense verb + infinitive phrase

A very literal breakdown is:

We risk to lose

Natural English would usually be We risk losing or We are at risk of losing.

Because risikerer is the present tense form.

In Norwegian, the verb that is actually conjugated for tense in the sentence is the main finite verb. Here that verb is å risikere.

• infinitive: å risikere = to risk
• present tense: risikerer = risk / are risking

So:

• Vi risikerer ... = We risk ...
• not Vi risikere ..., because that would leave the verb unconjugated

For many verbs in Bokmål, the present tense ends in -er.

Because tape is in the infinitive, and in Norwegian the infinitive is usually marked with å.

• å tape = to lose
• å spise = to eat
• å komme = to come

After risikere, Norwegian commonly uses an infinitive phrase:

• risikere å tape
• risikere å glemme
• risikere å bli forsinket

So å here works like to in English infinitives.

Because after å, Norwegian uses the infinitive, not the present tense.

Compare:

• å tape = to lose
• taper = lose / is losing in the present tense

So:

• Vi risikerer å tape = correct
• Vi risikerer å taper = incorrect

This is similar to English:

• We want to win
  not
• We want to wins

Because Norwegian often uses the present tense for something that is current, possible, or future-related.

Here, risikerer describes the present situation:

Right now, we are in a situation where losing is a risk.

So the sentence does not mean that the losing is happening already. It means the risk exists now.

This is very natural in Norwegian, just as English can say:

• We risk losing
• We may lose
• We are at risk of losing

Not necessarily. Tape can be used without an object when the context already makes it clear what is being lost.

For example, in sports or competitions:

• Vi tapte. = We lost.
• De risikerer å tape. = They risk losing.

The implied object might be:

• the game
• the match
• the election
• the case
• the argument

Norwegian often leaves that unstated if it is obvious from context.

This sentence uses the normal basic word order:

Vi + risikerer + å tape

That is:

subject + verb + rest

Norwegian is a V2 language, which means the finite verb is usually in the second position in main clauses. In this simple sentence, the subject comes first, so the verb follows it normally.

If another element is moved to the front, the verb still stays second:

• I dag risikerer vi å tape. = Today we risk losing.
• Nå risikerer vi å tape. = Now we risk losing.

Notice that when I dag or Nå comes first, risikerer still comes immediately after it, and vi moves after the verb.

It is not the same word as English tape.

In Norwegian, å tape means to lose. It is pronounced roughly like TAH-peh, with two clear syllables. The final -e is pronounced, unlike in English tape.

So a learner should be careful not to read it like the English noun tape.

Sometimes, but it means something a bit different.

• å tape usually means to lose in the sense of losing a game, competition, case, battle, and so on
• å miste usually means to lose in the sense of losing possession of something, dropping something, or losing someone/something more generally

So:

• Vi risikerer å tape. = we risk losing, for example a match or competition
• Vi risikerer å miste alt. = we risk losing everything

Both can translate as lose in English, but they are used in different situations.

Yes. Although risikere å + infinitive is very common, risikere can also take a noun phrase.

For example:

• Vi risikerer et tap. = We risk a loss.
• Hun risikerer livet. = She risks her life.

But in everyday Norwegian, risikere å + infinitive is extremely common and often sounds very natural:

• risikere å tape
• risikere å falle
• risikere å bli syk

So the pattern in your sentence is one of the most useful ones to learn.