Regjeringen bruker midlene.

Because regjeringen is the definite singular form of regjering.

In Norwegian, definiteness is often added to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the in English.

• en regjering = a government
• regjeringen = the government

So the -en here is the ending that makes the noun definite.

Norwegian usually puts the definite article on the noun itself.

So instead of saying:

• the government
• the funds

Norwegian says:

• regjeringen
• midlene

This is one of the biggest differences from English. In a simple sentence like this, you normally do not add a separate definite article before the noun.

Bruker is the present tense of the verb å bruke.

• å bruke = to use
• bruker = use / uses / is using, depending on context

Norwegian verbs do not change according to the subject the way English verbs do.

For example:

• jeg bruker = I use
• du bruker = you use
• regjeringen bruker = the government uses

The verb stays bruker in all of those.

Midlene is the definite plural form of middel.

A common pattern is:

• et middel = a means / a resource / a remedy
• midler = means / resources / funds
• midlene = the means / the resources / the funds

Here, -ne is the common ending for a definite plural noun.

So midlene means the funds/resources, not just funds/resources in general.

Because midler is already the plural form, and the definite plural of many Norwegian nouns is made by adding -ne directly to the plural base.

So:

• middel → singular
• midler → plural indefinite
• midlene → plural definite

You do not insert an extra r before -ne here. Midlerne would be incorrect in standard Bokmål.

Not always. Middel is a broad word and can mean different things depending on context, such as:

• means
• resource
• remedy
• agent
• sometimes something like medicine in certain compounds or contexts

But in midlene, especially in a sentence about the government, it usually means something like:

• the funds
• the resources
• the means

So context matters a lot.

Midlene is the direct object of the sentence.

The structure is:

• Regjeringen = subject
• bruker = verb
• midlene = object

So the sentence follows the basic Norwegian word order:

Subject + Verb + Object

That is very similar to normal English word order.

Yes. Regjeringen bruker midlene is a very normal main-clause word order in Norwegian:

• Subject: Regjeringen
• Verb: bruker
• Object: midlene

Norwegian is a V2 language, which means the finite verb often comes in the second position in main clauses. In this simple sentence, that gives the same order as English: subject first, verb second.

Yes, but it changes the emphasis.

Midlene bruker regjeringen is possible in Norwegian because the verb still stays in the second position. That version puts more focus on midlene.

A learner should usually start with the neutral order:

Regjeringen bruker midlene.

That is the most straightforward version.

• regjering is a feminine noun, but in Bokmål it is very often treated like a masculine noun in standard usage:
  • en regjering
  • regjeringen

You may also see the feminine definite form:

• regjeringa

Both can exist in Bokmål, depending on style.

• middel is a neuter noun:
  • et middel
  • midlet or middelet in the definite singular, depending on usage and style
  • midler
  • midlene

So in this sentence, you have one definite singular noun and one definite plural noun.

An approximate pronunciation for an English speaker is:

reh-YEHR-ing-en BROO-ker MID-leh-neh

A few notes:

• gj in regjeringen can be tricky; it is not pronounced like English g in go
• u in bruker is more rounded than English oo
• d in midlene may sound light or softened in connected speech

Exact pronunciation varies a bit by dialect, but the written sentence is standard Bokmål.