Poengsummen er nesten ferdig, bortsett fra at ett terningkast mangler.

Poengsummen is the definite singular form of poengsum, which means score, point total, or sum of points.

• en poengsum = a score / a total score
• poengsummen = the score / the total score

Norwegian often adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

Not literally, no. Here ferdig means complete, ready, or fully worked out.

So Poengsummen er nesten ferdig means that the score calculation or score display is almost complete. This is very natural in Norwegian, especially when talking about something being finalized, processed, or completed.

A more literal English version might be:

• The score is almost complete
• The point total is almost ready

Because poengsummen is singular, and the adjective is being used predicatively after er.

In Norwegian:

• common-gender singular usually uses the basic adjective form: ferdig
• neuter singular often adds -t: ferdigt is not correct here, because ferdig is irregular in actual usage and stays ferdig in many contexts, but with many adjectives you'd expect a neuter form
• plural often uses -e: ferdige

In this sentence, poengsummen is a singular noun, so ferdig is the correct form.

Bortsett fra means except for, apart from, or with the exception of.

It introduces an exception to what was just said.

So:

• Poengsummen er nesten ferdig = The score is almost complete
• bortsett fra ... = except for / apart from ...

Together, it means that the score is almost complete, with one important exception.

Because what follows is a full clause, not just a noun phrase.

Compare:

• bortsett fra ett terningkast = except for one die roll

  • here, what follows is just a noun phrase

• bortsett fra at ett terningkast mangler = except that one die roll is missing

  • here, what follows is a full clause:
    • ett terningkast = subject
    • mangler = verb

So at is used because the sentence continues with a subordinate clause.

Because terningkast is a neuter noun.

Its basic form is:

• et terningkast = a die roll / a dice roll

When you want to stress one, Norwegian often uses ett:

• ett terningkast = one die roll

So:

• et = the neuter indefinite article, like a
• ett = the number one, often used for emphasis

In this sentence, ett highlights that exactly one die roll is missing.

Terningkast literally means a dice throw, a die roll, or the result of rolling a die.

It is made from:

• terning = die / dice
• kast = throw

Depending on context, it can refer to:

• the act of rolling a die
• one individual die result
• sometimes, more generally, a rating or roll result

In this sentence, it means that one die roll/result has not been included yet.

Because after at, Norwegian uses normal subordinate-clause word order: subject + verb.

So:

• ett terningkast mangler = one die roll is missing

This is different from main clauses in Norwegian, which usually follow the verb-second (V2) rule.

Compare:

• Main clause: Nå mangler ett terningkast. = Now one die roll is missing.
• Subordinate clause: ... at ett terningkast mangler.

So the sentence is following standard subordinate-clause word order.

Here mangler is best translated as is missing.

The verb mangle can mean:

• to lack
• to be missing

In English, we might say:

• One die roll is missing

In Norwegian, it is very natural to say:

• Ett terningkast mangler

So Norwegian often uses an active verb where English might prefer a passive-looking expression.

Not always. In modern Norwegian, comma use before subordinate material like this can be somewhat flexible, especially in less formal writing.

So you may see both:

• Poengsummen er nesten ferdig, bortsett fra at ett terningkast mangler.
• Poengsummen er nesten ferdig bortsett fra at ett terningkast mangler.

The comma here helps mark bortsett fra at ... as an added exception and makes the sentence easier to read, but it is not the main grammar point of the sentence.

Yes. A few natural alternatives are:

• Poengsummen er nesten ferdig, men ett terningkast mangler.
  = The score is almost complete, but one die roll is missing.

• Poengsummen er nesten ferdig, bortsett fra ett manglende terningkast.
  = The score is almost complete, except for one missing die roll.
  This is less conversational and more compressed.

• Poengsummen er nesten ferdig; det mangler bare ett terningkast.
  = The score is almost complete; only one die roll is missing.

The original sentence is perfectly natural and emphasizes the exception clearly.