Bildet avslører problemet.

Because both nouns are neuter singular definite forms.

• et bilde = a picture

• bildet = the picture

• et problem = a problem
• problemet = the problem

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word like English the.

For neuter nouns, that ending is often -et.

Norwegian usually puts definiteness on the noun itself.

So instead of:

• English: the picture, the problem

you get:

• Norwegian: bildet, problemet

This is one of the biggest differences from English. The noun ending is doing the job that the does in English.

The basic forms are:

• et bilde → bildet
• et problem → problemet
• å avsløre → avslører

So in this sentence:

• bildet is the definite form of et bilde
• problemet is the definite form of et problem
• avslører is the present tense of å avsløre

Avslører is the present tense of å avsløre.

So:

• å avsløre = to reveal / to expose
• avslører = reveals / exposes

In Norwegian, the present tense does not change for different subjects:

• jeg avslører
• du avslører
• han/hun avslører
• vi avslører

That is much simpler than English, where you get I reveal but he reveals.

It follows the normal Norwegian main-clause pattern:

subject + verb + object

So here:

• Bildet = subject
• avslører = verb
• problemet = object

That is the same basic order as English:

• The picture reveals the problem

In a simple sentence like this, the noun before the verb is normally the subject, and the noun after the verb is normally the object.

So:

• Bildet comes before avslører → it is the subject
• problemet comes after avslører → it is the object

The meaning also helps: a picture can reveal something, so the picture is naturally the thing doing the action.

It can have a few closely related meanings, depending on context:

• reveal
• expose
• uncover
• sometimes give away

In this sentence, reveals is a very natural translation. But in another context, avslører could sound stronger, more like exposes.

For example:

• Bildet avslører løgnen. = The picture exposes the lie.

Yes, but the meaning changes.

• Bildet avslører problemet = The picture reveals the problem

  • a specific picture
  • a specific problem

• Et bilde avslører et problem = A picture reveals a problem

  • any picture / one picture
  • some problem, not a specific one

So the original sentence is more definite and specific.

Yes. Both bilde and problem are neuter nouns in Norwegian, so they take et in the indefinite singular.

• et bilde
• et problem

That is why their definite forms become:

• bildet
• problemet

Gender is something you usually need to learn with the noun.

It would be:

Bildet avslørte problemet.

Here:

• avslører = present tense
• avslørte = past tense

So:

• Bildet avslører problemet. = The picture reveals the problem.
• Bildet avslørte problemet. = The picture revealed the problem.

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

BIL-deh ahv-SLUR-er pro-BLE-meh

A few notes:

• bildet: the -et ending is usually pronounced lightly, not like a strong English it
• ø in avslører has a sound that does not exist exactly in English
• problemet has stress on ble

A more important learning point than perfect pronunciation is noticing that the definite endings are often spoken quite lightly.

Yes, bildet can mean different things depending on context:

• the picture
• the image
• the photo

Norwegian bilde is fairly broad. So without more context, Bildet avslører problemet could mean:

• the picture reveals the problem
• the image reveals the problem
• the photo reveals the problem

Context tells you which English word sounds best.