Benkeforslaget gjelder styrehonoraret.

It is a normal Norwegian main clause:

• Benkeforslaget = subject
• gjelder = finite verb
• styrehonoraret = direct object

So the pattern is Subject + Verb + Object, which looks very similar to English in this case.

Because Norwegian normally writes compound nouns as one word.

• benkeforslag = benke-
  • forslag
• styrehonorar = styre
  • honorar

The last part is the main noun, and it determines the core meaning and the grammar of the whole compound.

Also, in benkeforslag, the -e- is a common linking element used in compounds. English often uses separate words where Norwegian uses one compound word.

The ending -et marks definite singular for a neuter noun.

So:

• et forslag = a proposal
• forslaget = the proposal

and

• et honorar = a fee / remuneration
• honoraret = the fee / the remuneration

The same rule applies to the compounds:

• et benkeforslag → benkeforslaget
• et styrehonorar → styrehonoraret

Because Norwegian usually puts definiteness on the noun itself.

So:

• forslaget = the proposal
• honoraret = the remuneration

You do not need a separate word like English the when the noun stands alone.

However, if there is an adjective, Norwegian often uses double definiteness:

• det nye forslaget = the new proposal

Benkeforslag is a meeting / political / organizational term. It means a proposal made from the floor during a meeting, rather than one submitted in advance.

So it is not about a literal bench. It is a set expression used in formal meeting contexts.

Gjelder is the present tense of å gjelde.

In this sentence, it means something like:

• concerns
• relates to
• is about

A useful grammar point: å gjelde usually takes a direct object, with no preposition.

• Dette gjelder budsjettet. = This concerns the budget.

Not normally:

• Dette gjelder om budsjettet.

In other contexts, å gjelde can also mean apply to or be valid for.

Here it is the noun styre, meaning board.

So styrehonorar means board remuneration / board fee / fee for serving on a board.

This can confuse learners because styre can also be a verb, but inside this compound it is clearly the noun.

In Norwegian compounds, the last element decides the gender.

• forslag is neuter: et forslag
• honorar is neuter: et honorar

So the compounds are also neuter:

• et benkeforslag
• et styrehonorar

That is why the definite form is -et in both cases:

• benkeforslaget
• styrehonoraret

No. In modern Norwegian, verbs do not change for person or number.

So the present-tense form stays gjelder even if the subject changes:

• Benkeforslaget gjelder styrehonoraret.
• Benkeforslagene gjelder styrehonoraret.

This is much simpler than English, where you have forms like concern vs concerns.