Poststedet følger postnummeret.

Because Norwegian forms many compound nouns as one single word.

• poststed = post
  • sted
• postnummer = post
  • nummer

This is very common in Norwegian. Where English often uses two words, Norwegian often prefers one compound word.

Examples:

• telefonnummer = telephone number
• etternavn = last name
• postkasse = mailbox

So poststedet and postnummeret are not unusual at all—they are standard Norwegian compound nouns.

The -et ending shows that the noun is in the definite singular form for a neuter noun.

• et poststed = a post town / postal place name

• poststedet = the post town / the postal place name

• et postnummer = a postal code
• postnummeret = the postal code

Unlike English, Norwegian usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

So:

• poststedet = the post town
• postnummeret = the postal code

Because in Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the noun as a suffix.

Compare:

• en bil = a car

• bilen = the car

• et hus = a house

• huset = the house

• et postnummer = a postal code
• postnummeret = the postal code

So in Poststedet følger postnummeret, both nouns are already definite. English uses separate the, but Norwegian often builds that meaning into the noun itself.

følger is the present tense of the verb å følge, which means to follow.

Basic forms:

• å følge = to follow
• følger = follow / follows
• fulgte = followed
• har fulgt = have/has followed

In this sentence, følger means follows.

A useful point for learners: Norwegian present tense is the same for all subjects.

• jeg følger = I follow
• du følger = you follow
• han følger = he follows
• vi følger = we follow

So there is no English-style follow/follows distinction.

The sentence follows normal Norwegian main-clause word order:

Subject + verb + object

• Poststedet = subject
• følger = verb
• postnummeret = object

So literally:

• Poststedet følger postnummeret
• The post town follows the postal code

This is very similar to normal English word order in a simple statement.

Yes, that is possible in some contexts, but it is a little different in tone.

• følger = follows
• kommer etter = comes after

Both can describe order, but følger is often more concise and formal-sounding, especially in instructions or official language.

So Poststedet følger postnummeret sounds like a neat rule or formatting instruction:

• the place name should come after the postal code

Because the sentence is saying that the post town/place name is the thing that does the following, and the postal code is the thing being followed.

So:

• poststedet = what comes after
• postnummeret = what it comes after

That makes:

• Poststedet = subject
• postnummeret = object

If you reversed them, the meaning would also reverse:

• Postnummeret følger poststedet = The postal code follows the post town

That would describe the opposite order.

Poststed refers to the postal place name used together with a postal code in an address.

It is not always exactly the same as:

• a city
• a town
• a municipality

It is specifically the place name used in the postal system.

So learners should understand poststed as something like:

• post town
• postal place name
• the place name written next to a postal code

A rough guide is:

• følger ≈ FUL-yer or FEL-yer, but with the Norwegian vowel ø, which does not exist exactly in English

A few pronunciation notes:

• ø is a rounded front vowel; English speakers often need practice with it.
• The g in følge / følger is not pronounced like a hard g in go.
• In many pronunciations, it sounds more like a y sound.

So følger is often heard approximately like:

• FØL-yer

Not:

• fog-ger
• fool-ger

Norwegian often uses the simple present tense to express:

• general truths
• instructions
• rules
• standard procedures

So Poststedet følger postnummeret can function like a rule in formatting or addressing, even though it is grammatically just a present-tense statement.

English does something similar sometimes:

• The surname comes first
• The title goes before the name

Norwegian therefore does not need skal here, although in some contexts skal could be used to sound more explicitly like an instruction:

• Poststedet skal følge postnummeret

That would mean:

• The post town should/must follow the postal code

But the shorter version is very natural.

Yes. It shows several very useful Norwegian patterns at once:

1. Compound nouns are written as one word

   • poststed
   • postnummer

2. Definiteness is often added as a suffix

   • poststedet
   • postnummeret

3. Present tense is simple and does not change by person

   • følger

4. Normal word order is Subject + Verb + Object

   • Poststedet følger postnummeret

So this short sentence is actually a very good example of core Norwegian grammar.