Det føles som om lugaren rister.

Here det is a dummy subject, like English it in It feels like...

It does not refer to a specific thing. Norwegian often uses det in sentences about:

• weather
• general situations
• impressions or sensations

So Det føles som om ... is a very natural way to say It feels as if ...

Føles is the natural form here because the sentence means something like:

• It feels like...
• It seems as if...

In this kind of expression, Norwegian often uses the -s form:

• Det føles bra. = It feels good.
• Det føles som om ... = It feels as if ...

If you used føler, that would normally mean feel in the sense of experience a feeling and usually needs a person or thing doing the feeling:

• Jeg føler meg trøtt. = I feel tired.

So in this sentence, føles is the correct choice.

Som om means as if.

So:

• Det føles som om lugaren rister. = It feels as if the cabin is shaking.

This is a very common pattern in Norwegian:

• Det ser ut som om det skal regne. = It looks as if it is going to rain.
• Det virker som om han er sint. = It seems as if he is angry.

In informal speech, people sometimes shorten it and say just som in similar sentences, but som om is clear and standard here.

Lugaren means the cabin, usually a cabin on a ship.

The basic noun is:

• en lugar = a cabin
• lugaren = the cabin

So this is not just any room; it usually suggests a sleeping cabin or private cabin on a boat or ship.

Because Norwegian usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun.

So:

• en lugar = a cabin
• lugaren = the cabin

This is one of the biggest differences from English. Instead of putting the before the noun, Norwegian often attaches definiteness as a suffix.

Rister is the present tense of å riste.

Here it means:

• shakes
• is shaking

So lugaren rister literally means the cabin shakes, but in natural English you would often translate it as the cabin is shaking because that fits the situation better.

Å riste usually means to shake.

In this sentence, lugaren rister means the cabin is physically shaking or trembling, probably because of movement from the ship, engine, waves, or turbulence.

A few related meanings:

• riste på hodet = shake one’s head
• bordet rister = the table is shaking

So here it is a literal physical movement.

Yes. Lugaren rister has normal clause order:

• subject: lugaren
• verb: rister

Because there is no adverb like ikke in the clause, the word order looks the same as in English.

If you added an adverb, you could more clearly see that this is a subordinate clause:

• Det føles som om lugaren ikke rister så mye lenger. = It feels as if the cabin is not shaking so much anymore.

So the sentence structure is completely normal.

Yes, that is possible.

Both føles and kjennes can be used for feels in some contexts.

• Det føles som om ...
• Det kjennes som om ...

Both are understandable and natural, though føles is very common in this exact pattern.

You may also hear:

• Det kjennes ut som om ... = It feels like / It seems as if ...

So there are a few natural alternatives.

In everyday spoken Norwegian, some speakers may say som alone in similar sentences, but som om is the clearer and more standard choice when you mean as if.

So for a learner, Det føles som om lugaren rister is the safest and best version to use.

Yes, it is natural and correct.

It sounds like something someone might say on a ship when they notice movement:

• Det føles som om lugaren rister.

It has a very natural structure:

• Det føles ... = It feels ...
• som om ... = as if ...
• lugaren rister = the cabin is shaking

So this is a good sentence to learn as a model.