Vi snakker om forbrytelsen.

Snakke is the infinitive, meaning to talk / to speak.

Snakker is the present tense form:

• å snakke = to talk
• snakker = talk / am talking / are talking / is talking

Norwegian verbs do not change for person:

• jeg snakker
• du snakker
• vi snakker

So vi snakker is simply the correct present-tense form for we talk / we are talking.

It can mean both.

In Norwegian, the present tense often covers both:

• we talk
• we are talking

The exact meaning depends on context. Norwegian usually does not need a separate progressive form like English are talking.

Because snakke om is the normal way to say talk about.

So:

• snakke = talk / speak
• snakke om noe = talk about something

You usually need om after snakke when you mean the topic of conversation.

Examples:

• Vi snakker om filmen. = We are talking about the film.
• De snakker om politikk. = They are talking about politics.

Because forbrytelsen is the definite singular form: the crime.

Compare:

• en forbrytelse = a crime
• forbrytelsen = the crime

In Norwegian, the definite article is often added as an ending to the noun instead of being a separate word like English the.

Here, -en is the definite ending for a singular en-word noun.

So:

• en forbrytelse = a crime
• forbrytelsen = the crime

This is a very common Norwegian pattern:

• en bil → bilen
• en bok → boken/boka (depending on style/dialect)
• en forbrytelse → forbrytelsen

Because Norwegian usually expresses the by attaching a definite ending to the noun.

English:

• the crime

Norwegian:

• forbrytelsen

So you do not say the + noun as two separate words in a basic phrase like this.

It is an en-word noun in Bokmål.

Its main forms are:

• en forbrytelse = a crime
• forbrytelsen = the crime
• forbrytelser = crimes
• forbrytelsene = the crimes

For a learner, the important thing is to remember that it behaves like an en-word.

Yes. This is the normal main-clause word order:

subject + verb + rest

• Vi = subject
• snakker = verb
• om forbrytelsen = prepositional phrase

So:

• Vi snakker om forbrytelsen.

That is the most natural neutral order.

Norwegian main clauses also follow the V2 rule, which means the finite verb is normally in second position. For example:

• Nå snakker vi om forbrytelsen. = Now we are talking about the crime.

Here Nå comes first, and the verb snakker still stays in second position.

You usually put ikke after the finite verb in a main clause:

• Vi snakker ikke om forbrytelsen. = We are not talking about the crime.

This is a very useful pattern:

• Jeg kommer ikke.
• De forstår ikke.
• Vi snakker ikke om forbrytelsen.

For a yes/no question, Norwegian usually puts the verb before the subject:

• Snakker vi om forbrytelsen? = Are we talking about the crime?

Compare:

• Vi snakker om forbrytelsen. = statement
• Snakker vi om forbrytelsen? = yes/no question

You could also ask a wh-question such as:

• Hva snakker vi om? = What are we talking about?

Yes, very often it can.

For example:

• Vi snakker om forbrytelsen. = We are talking about the crime.
• Hun snakker norsk. = She speaks Norwegian.

But the exact English translation depends on context:

• snakke om = talk about
• snakke et språk = speak a language

So the same Norwegian verb can match different English verbs.