Planen møtte motstand.

Because planen is the definite singular form: the plan.

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word in front.

• en plan = a plan
• planen = the plan

So Planen møtte motstand literally starts with The plan.

Møtte is the past tense of å møte, which usually means to meet.

Here are the basic forms:

• å møte = to meet
• møter = meet / meets
• møtte = met
• har møtt = have/has met

In this sentence, møtte is being used in the sense of encountered rather than physically meeting a person.

It is literally the past tense of to meet, but in this sentence the natural meaning is encountered or ran into resistance.

So:

• Planen møtte motstand = The plan met resistance
• Very natural English translation: The plan encountered resistance

This is a common kind of usage in both Norwegian and English.

Because motstand is being used as an uncountable/abstract noun, much like resistance in English.

Compare:

• The plan met resistance
• not usually The plan met a resistance

Likewise in Norwegian:

• motstand = resistance / opposition
• no article is needed here

If you added an article, it would usually change the meaning or sound unnatural in this context.

Motstand can mean resistance, opposition, or pushback, depending on context.

In this sentence, it most likely means that the plan faced opposition from people, groups, or circumstances.

Possible English renderings:

• The plan met resistance
• The plan faced opposition
• The plan encountered pushback

So motstand is a broad word that can be used in both literal and figurative situations.

Yes, it is a very common expression.

Å møte motstand means to meet resistance or to encounter opposition. It is a normal, idiomatic way to say that something was not accepted easily.

Similar Norwegian expressions include:

• møte kritikk = meet criticism
• møte problemer = encounter problems
• møte utfordringer = face challenges

So this sentence sounds very natural.

The word order is the basic Norwegian main-clause pattern:

Subject + verb + object

• Planen = subject
• møtte = verb
• motstand = object

So the structure is very similar to English:

• The plan
  • met
    • resistance

This is one reason the sentence is quite easy for English speakers to recognize.

A useful approximation is something like MUT-teh, but with a vowel English does not quite have.

A few points:

• ø is a rounded front vowel
• it is somewhat like the vowel in British English bird, but with rounded lips
• the tt shows that the vowel before it is short
• the final -e is usually a light uh sound

So møtte is roughly:

• møt-te
• with short ø

If you already know Swedish or Danish sounds, this vowel may feel more familiar.

In Bokmål, plan is normally masculine:

• en plan
• planen

That is why the definite form is -en.

For this word, you would not normally use a feminine form.

Yes. That is a very good translation.

Possible translations include:

• The plan met resistance
• The plan encountered resistance
• The plan faced resistance
• The plan ran into opposition

They all capture the same basic idea. Met resistance is the most literal match, while faced resistance may sound especially natural in modern English.

No. Often it can, but not always.

Å møte can mean:

• to meet a person
• to meet a requirement
• to encounter a problem
• to face criticism or opposition

So the best English translation depends on context.

In this sentence, translating it too literally as The plan met resistance is perfectly fine, but in some contexts encountered or faced may sound better in English.

They would probably understand it, but møtte motstand is much more idiomatic.

Treffe often means hit or meet, but with motstand, the standard expression is møte motstand.

So for a learner, møte motstand is the safest and most natural phrase to remember.