Skadedyrskontrollen og videoovervåkningen er viktige.

Because both nouns are in the definite singular form in Bokmål.

• skadedyrskontroll = pest control

• skadedyrskontrollen = the pest control

• videoovervåkning = video surveillance
• videoovervåkningen = the video surveillance

In Norwegian, definiteness is usually added as a suffix to the noun, instead of using a separate word like the.

So:

• kontrollen = the control
• overvåkningen = the surveillance

Here, the sentence is talking about specific things already understood in context, so the definite form is natural.

Because the subject is plural.

Even though each noun by itself is singular, the phrase:

• Skadedyrskontrollen og videoovervåkningen

means the pest control and the video surveillance — two things joined by og (and). Together, they form a plural subject.

In Norwegian:

• viktig = singular / neuter form
• viktige = plural form, and also definite weak form in some contexts

So:

• Skadedyrskontrollen er viktig. = The pest control is important.
• Videoovervåkningen er viktig. = The video surveillance is important.
• Skadedyrskontrollen og videoovervåkningen er viktige. = The pest control and the video surveillance are important.

Er is the present tense of å være (to be).

So:

• er = am / is / are

Norwegian uses the same present-tense form for all persons:

• jeg er = I am
• du er = you are
• han/hun er = he/she is
• vi er = we are
• de er = they are

In this sentence, er means are because the subject is plural.

Norwegian often combines words into one compound noun. That is very common and very important to get used to.

1. skadedyrskontrollen

This can be broken down as:

• skade = damage, harm
• dyr = animal
• skadedyr = pest
• kontroll = control
• skadedyrskontroll = pest control
• skadedyrskontrollen = the pest control

2. videoovervåkningen

This can be broken down as:

• video = video
• overvåkning = surveillance, monitoring
• videoovervåkning = video surveillance
• videoovervåkningen = the video surveillance

A useful rule: in Norwegian, compound nouns are usually written as one word, not several.

Yes, that is possible, but it changes the meaning slightly.

• Skadedyrskontrollen og videoovervåkningen er viktige.
  = The pest control and the video surveillance are important.
  This sounds like specific, known systems/measures.

• Skadedyrskontroll og videoovervåkning er viktige.
  = Pest control and video surveillance are important.
  This sounds more general.

So the version with -en is more definite and context-specific.

Because Norwegian usually puts definiteness on the noun itself.

Compare English and Norwegian:

• the car → bilen
• the house → huset
• the control → kontrollen
• the surveillance → overvåkningen

That is one of the biggest structural differences from English.

Norwegian can also use a separate determiner like den/det/de, but usually that happens when an adjective comes before the noun:

• kontrollen = the control
• den viktige kontrollen = the important control

In your sentence, there is no adjective before the nouns, so the suffix alone is enough.

Yes, gender matters in Norwegian, though in this sentence it mostly shows up in the noun endings.

• en kontroll → common gender

• kontrollen → definite singular

• en overvåkning → common gender
• overvåkningen → definite singular

Both are common gender nouns in Bokmål, so the definite singular ending is -en.

Gender would matter more clearly in other forms, for example:

• en viktig kontroll = an important control
• en viktig overvåkning = an important surveillance measure

Yes. This is standard Norwegian main-clause word order:

Subject + verb + complement

• Skadedyrskontrollen og videoovervåkningen = subject
• er = verb
• viktige = complement

So it follows the same basic pattern as English:

• The pest control and the video surveillance are important.

Nothing unusual is happening with the word order here.

Yes, this sentence is in Bokmål.

A Nynorsk version might look different, especially in noun forms and vocabulary choices. For example, Nynorsk often prefers different spellings or forms, and the definite endings may differ.

For a learner, the important point is:

• Skadedyrskontrollen og videoovervåkningen er viktige is perfectly normal Bokmål.

So if you are studying Bokmål, this sentence is standard.

Yes, depending on context, viktige can function as:

• an adjective: important
• a nominalized adjective in some contexts: important ones

In this sentence, it is clearly just the adjective important, describing the two nouns.

So:

• er viktige = are important

It is not standing alone as the important ones here.

Yes, mostly because they are long compounds, not because the grammar is unusual.

A few useful points:

• Norwegian compounds are usually stressed early, often on the first main element.
• Try to hear the internal parts:
  • skadedyr + kontrollen
  • video + overvåkningen
• The letter å in overvåkningen is a distinct vowel sound and should not be pronounced like English a.

A good learning strategy is to practice them in chunks rather than as one giant block:

• skadedyr
  • kontrollen
• video
  • overvåkningen

That makes long Norwegian compound words much easier to read and say.