Vi ringer assistenten.

• Vi = we
• ringer = call / are calling / ring
• assistenten = the assistant

So the whole sentence means We call the assistant or We are calling the assistant, depending on context.

In Norwegian, the definite article is often added to the end of the noun as a suffix.

• assistent = assistant
• assistenten = the assistant

So instead of saying a separate word like English the assistant, Norwegian usually attaches -en to the noun.

Because assistent is usually a common gender noun in Norwegian.

For common gender nouns, the definite singular ending is often -en:

• en assistent = an assistant
• assistenten = the assistant

If it were a neuter noun, you would usually see -et instead.

ringer is the present tense form of the verb å ringe.

• å ringe = to call / to ring
• ringer = call / calls / am calling / is calling / are calling, depending on the subject and context

Norwegian present tense does not change for different persons:

• jeg ringer = I call / I’m calling
• du ringer = you call / you’re calling
• vi ringer = we call / we’re calling

So the same verb form is used for all subjects.

It can mean both.

Norwegian often uses the simple present where English might use either:

• We call the assistant
• We are calling the assistant

The exact meaning depends on context. If you want to know whether it is a general habit or something happening right now, you usually look at the surrounding sentences or situation.

Very often, yes. Å ringe commonly means to call someone on the phone.

So:

• Vi ringer assistenten usually means We’re calling the assistant

Depending on context, å ringe can also relate to something ringing, like a bell or a phone, but in this sentence the most natural meaning is a phone call.

This is the normal word order for a basic Norwegian statement:

Subject + Verb + Object

• Vi = subject
• ringer = verb
• assistenten = object

So it follows a very standard pattern:

• Jeg leser boka. = I read the book.
• Vi ringer assistenten. = We call the assistant.

Sometimes learners notice ringe til and wonder about this.

In Norwegian, å ringe noen and å ringe til noen can both be used, depending on dialect, style, and nuance. But å ringe noen is very common and natural, especially in everyday language.

So:

• Vi ringer assistenten = We call the assistant
• Vi ringer til assistenten may also be heard, but the version without til is very standard and common.

A rough English-friendly approximation is:

vee RING-er ah-sis-TEN-ten

A few notes:

• Vi sounds like vee
• ringer has a short i, and the r sound depends on dialect
• assistenten has the stress mainly on -tent-

Pronunciation varies by region, but that approximation is good enough for a learner to start with.

The past tense of å ringe is ringte.

So:

• Vi ringer assistenten. = We call / are calling the assistant.
• Vi ringte assistenten. = We called the assistant.

That is a very useful pattern to remember:

• å ringe
• ringer
• ringte
• har ringt

You would use the indefinite form:

• en assistent = an assistant
• assistenten = the assistant

So:

• Vi ringer en assistent. = We are calling an assistant.
• Vi ringer assistenten. = We are calling the assistant.

This contrast is very important in Norwegian, since the definite form is built into the noun.

Yes, in a normal full sentence, Norwegian usually requires the subject to be stated.

So you say:

• Vi ringer assistenten.

You normally would not just say:

• Ringer assistenten.

unless it is part of a question, a heading, a note, or very informal speech. In standard sentence structure, the subject vi is needed.

Not as written. Vi ringer assistenten. is a statement.

To make it a yes/no question in Norwegian, you would usually invert the subject and verb:

• Ringer vi assistenten? = Are we calling the assistant? / Do we call the assistant?

That verb-second pattern is very important in Norwegian.