Langrennsskiene er i og for seg gode, men skibindingen må justeres.

Because Norwegian normally writes compound nouns as one word.

langrennsskiene is built like this:

• langrenn = cross-country skiing
• ski = ski
• -ene = the definite plural ending

So the whole word means the cross-country skis.

This is very typical in Norwegian. English often uses several words where Norwegian prefers one compound word.

-ene marks definite plural.

So:

• en ski = a ski
• ski / skier = skis
• skiene = the skis

In this sentence, langrennsskiene already includes the idea of the, so Norwegian does not need a separate word like English does.

Because the adjective agrees with the noun.

Here, langrennsskiene is plural, so the adjective must also be plural:

• Skien er god = The ski is good
• Skiene er gode = The skis are good

In this sentence, gode is a predicative adjective, meaning it comes after er and describes the subject.

i og for seg is a fixed idiomatic expression. It often means something like:

• in itself
• as such
• generally speaking
• when considered on its own

Here it softens or qualifies the statement: the skis are basically / in themselves good, but there is still some problem with the binding.

It is best learned as a whole expression, not word by word.

The basic sentence is:

Langrennsskiene er gode.

Then i og for seg is inserted as a kind of comment or qualifier.

This placement is very natural in Norwegian. It comes after the finite verb er and before the adjective gode.

So the structure is roughly:

• subject: Langrennsskiene
• verb: er
• qualifier: i og for seg
• adjective: gode

Yes, in real life skis usually come with two bindings, but Norwegian can still use the singular in a general or practical way.

skibindingen can mean:

• one specific binding being discussed, or
• the binding setup / binding as a piece of equipment

If the speaker wanted to emphasize both individual bindings, they could say skibindingene.

So the singular here is not strange; it depends on context.

skibindingen is another compound noun:

• ski = ski
• binding = binding
• -en = the definite singular ending

So it literally means the ski binding.

Again, Norwegian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun:

• en binding = a binding
• bindingen = the binding

That is why there is no separate word for the here.

Because after a modal verb like må, Norwegian normally uses the next verb without å.

Examples:

• må gå = must go
• kan komme = can come
• vil spise = wants to eat

So:

• må justeres = must be adjusted

Using å after må would be incorrect here.

Here justeres is a passive form.

The active verb is justere = to adjust.

The passive form justeres means be adjusted / get adjusted.

So:

• Vi må justere bindingen = We must adjust the binding
• Bindingen må justeres = The binding must be adjusted

In this sentence, the focus is on what needs to happen to the binding, not on who will do it.

Yes. Both are possible:

• skibindingen må justeres
• skibindingen må bli justert

They are very close in meaning.

A useful difference to notice:

• -s passive (justeres) is often concise and common in written or neutral style
• bli + past participle (bli justert) can sound a little more explicit or conversational

In this sentence, må justeres sounds completely natural.

Because after men, Norwegian starts a new main clause, and the normal order here is:

• subject + finite verb

So:

• skibindingen må justeres

This is the ordinary pattern when nothing else has been moved to the front.

If another element were fronted, the finite verb would still have to stay in second position, for example:

• Men i dag må skibindingen justeres.

So the sentence you have is the normal, straightforward word order.