Barna deler godteriet.

Barn is the basic noun, meaning child. In this sentence, barna is the definite plural form, so it means the children.

A very common pattern in Norwegian is that definiteness is added to the end of the noun:

• et barn = a child
• barn = children
• barna = the children

So the -a ending here is doing the job that the does in English.

In Norwegian, the is usually attached to the noun as an ending instead of standing as a separate word.

In this sentence:

• barna = the children
• godteriet = the candy

So both nouns are definite, but Norwegian shows that with endings:

• -a in barna
• -et in godteriet

This is one of the biggest differences from English noun structure.

Deler is the present tense of the verb å dele, which means to share, to divide, or to split depending on context.

So:

• å dele = to share / to divide
• deler = share / are sharing / divide / are dividing

In Norwegian, the present tense does not change depending on the subject:

• jeg deler = I share
• du deler = you share
• barna deler = the children share

That is simpler than English, since Norwegian does not have forms like share / shares depending on the person.

Godteriet is definite singular.

That may look strange to an English speaker, because candy can refer to many pieces. But godteri is often used as a mass noun, like candy in English when you mean it as a substance or collection rather than counting individual pieces.

So:

• godteri = candy
• godteriet = the candy

Even if there are many pieces, Norwegian can still use the singular mass noun, just like English can say the candy is on the table.

Because godteri usually works as an uncountable or mass noun. It refers to candy in general, or to some amount of candy, rather than to separate countable items.

English does something very similar with words like:

• candy
• food
• furniture

You normally do not say a furniture in English, and Norwegian often treats godteri in a comparable way.

So godteriet does not mean there is literally only one piece. It means the candy as a whole.

It can suggest either idea, depending on context.

Å dele can mean:

• to share
• to divide
• to split up

In Barna deler godteriet, the most natural idea is probably that the children are sharing out the candy among themselves or dividing the candy.

So the exact English wording depends on the situation, but the Norwegian verb works well for both ideas.

This is the normal word order for a simple main clause:

• subject: Barna
• verb: deler
• object: godteriet

So it follows the common pattern:

Subject + Verb + Object

Norwegian main clauses also follow the verb-second rule, but in this sentence the subject comes first, so the verb naturally comes second:

• Barna
  • deler
    • godteriet

If another element were placed first, the verb would still stay in second position.

Yes. Barna literally means the children, but in many contexts it can sound as natural and everyday as the kids in English.

Whether you translate it as children or kids depends on tone and context:

• more neutral/formal: the children
• more everyday/conversational: the kids

The Norwegian word itself is completely normal and common in both everyday speech and writing.