Giret sitter fast.

Because giret is the definite singular form: the gear.

• et gir = a gear
• giret = the gear

This is a normal pattern for many neuter nouns in Bokmål:

• et hus → huset
• et eple → eplet
• et gir → giret

So the sentence is talking about a specific gear, not just any gear in general.

Gir usually means gear in a mechanical sense.

Depending on context, giret could refer to:

• a gear in a machine
• the selected gear in a vehicle
• part of a gearbox or transmission system

In a sentence like Giret sitter fast, the idea is usually that the gear mechanism is jammed or stuck.

Yes, sitter is the present tense of å sitte, which often literally means sits or is sitting.

But in Norwegian, sitte fast is a very common idiomatic expression meaning:

• be stuck
• be jammed
• be lodged

So Giret sitter fast does not mean the gear is literally sitting down. It means the gear is stuck.

English does something similar in expressions like The key is sitting in the lock, though Norwegian uses this kind of wording much more often.

No. In Norwegian, fast usually means things like:

• firm
• fixed
• stuck
• securely in place

So in sitter fast, fast means stuck / firmly lodged, not quickly.

This is a very common false friend for English speakers.

Usually Giret sitter fast is the more natural choice if you mean the gear is stuck/jammed.

• sitter fast = is stuck, jammed, lodged
• er fast = is fixed/firm/secure, or sometimes permanently attached

So Giret er fast could sound less natural or could suggest a different idea, depending on context. If something is mechanically jammed, sitter fast is the idiomatic phrasing.

Sitter is the present tense of å sitte.

Some useful forms are:

• å sitte = to sit / to be stuck in expressions like sitte fast
• sitter = sits / is sitting / is stuck
• satt = sat
• har sittet = has sat / has been sitting

In this sentence, the present tense gives the current situation: The gear is stuck.

Yes — that is a very good idea.

It is best to learn sitte fast as a chunk meaning:

• to be stuck
• to be jammed
• to be lodged

Very common examples are:

• Døra sitter fast. = The door is stuck.
• Nøkkelen sitter fast i låsen. = The key is stuck in the lock.
• Bilen sitter fast i snøen. = The car is stuck in the snow.

So Giret sitter fast fits a very common Norwegian pattern.

Yes, and it is very common, but it has a slightly different feel.

• Giret sitter fast. = The gear is stuck.
  -> focuses on the current state
• Giret har satt seg fast. = The gear has gotten stuck / has become stuck.
  -> focuses more on how it ended up that way

So both can be correct, but they are not exactly the same.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

YEE-ret SIT-ter FAHST

A few useful notes:

• gir is usually pronounced with a y sound at the beginning, not a hard English g
• giret is roughly YEE-ret
• sitter has a short i
• fast has the Norwegian meaning stuck/fixed, not the English meaning quick

Pronunciation varies by dialect, but that rough guide will help.

Yes, but the basic sentence is:

Giret sitter fast.
subject + verb + complement

If you move another element to the front, Norwegian still keeps the verb in second position:

• Nå sitter giret fast. = Now the gear is stuck.
• I dag sitter giret fast igjen. = Today the gear is stuck again.
• Plutselig satt giret fast. = Suddenly the gear got stuck / was stuck.

That verb-second pattern is very important in Norwegian.