Regnskapsprogrammet fungerer godt, bortsett fra at fakturanummeret er feil.

The accounting software works well, except that the invoice number is wrong.

Breakdown of Regnskapsprogrammet fungerer godt, bortsett fra at fakturanummeret er feil.

• være: to be
• fungere: to work
• godt: well
• feil: wrong

Questions & Answers about Regnskapsprogrammet fungerer godt, bortsett fra at fakturanummeret er feil.

What does regnskapsprogrammet break down into?

Regnskapsprogrammet is made up of:

• regnskap = accounting
• program = program/software
• -met = the definite ending for a neuter noun

So regnskapsprogrammet means the accounting program/software.

This is a very common Norwegian pattern: nouns are often joined together into one compound word.

• regnskap
  • program → regnskapsprogram
• regnskapsprogrammet = the accounting program

Notice the -s- in the middle. That linking s often appears in compounds.

Why is programmet written as one word with the ending attached, instead of as a separate word like the program in English?

In Norwegian, definiteness is usually shown by attaching the definite article to the end of the noun.

So:

• et program = a program
• programmet = the program

The same happens here:

• et regnskapsprogram = an accounting program
• regnskapsprogrammet = the accounting program

This is one of the biggest differences from English. Instead of a separate word like the, Norwegian often adds the definiteness directly to the noun.