Stoffprøven passer til jakken.

Because Norwegian very often makes compound nouns where English would use two words.

• stoff = fabric, cloth, material
• prøve = sample, test piece

So stoffprøve means fabric sample or swatch.

Then the ending -n makes it definite:

• en stoffprøve = a fabric sample
• stoffprøven = the fabric sample

This is very typical in Norwegian. English learners often want to write two separate words, but in Norwegian, one-word compounds are the normal pattern.

The -en is the definite ending for many masculine nouns in Bokmål.

Here is the pattern:

• en prøve = a sample
• prøven = the sample

In a compound, the definite ending goes on the last part of the compound:

• en stoffprøve = a fabric sample
• stoffprøven = the fabric sample

So the sentence is talking about a specific fabric sample, not just any sample.

Here, passer til means something like:

• goes with
• matches
• suits
• is suitable for

So Stoffprøven passer til jakken means the fabric sample is a good match for the jacket.

This is an important phrase to learn as a chunk:

• å passe til noe = to go with / match something

Examples:

• Skoene passer til kjolen. = The shoes go with the dress.
• Denne fargen passer til sofaen. = This color matches the sofa.

Not always. Å passe has several related meanings in Norwegian, and English often uses different verbs depending on the situation.

Common meanings include:

• fit in size
  
  • Jakken passer. = The jacket fits.
• suit someone
  
  • Blått passer deg. = Blue suits you.
• be convenient
  
  • Passer det i morgen? = Is tomorrow convenient?
• match / go with, especially with til
  
  • Stoffprøven passer til jakken. = The fabric sample matches the jacket.

So in this sentence, passer til does not mean physical size-fitting. It means matching well with the jacket.

Because the sentence is referring to a specific jacket: the jacket.

• en jakke = a jacket
• jakken = the jacket

Norwegian often uses the definite form when the thing is already known from context. For example, maybe you are looking at one particular jacket and testing fabric against it.

So:

• Stoffprøven passer til en jakke. = The fabric sample goes with a jacket.
  This sounds more general or less specific.
• Stoffprøven passer til jakken. = The fabric sample goes with the jacket.
  This points to a particular jacket.

Because Norwegian usually marks definiteness by adding an ending to the noun instead of using a separate article like English the.

Compare:

• the sample → prøven
• the jacket → jakken

This is one of the biggest differences from English.

So in this sentence:

• stoffprøven already means the fabric sample
• jakken already means the jacket

You do not need a separate word for the.

The word order is very straightforward:

• Stoffprøven = subject
• passer = verb
• til jakken = prepositional phrase

So the structure is:

Subject + verb + prepositional phrase

Norwegian main clauses usually follow the V2 rule, meaning the finite verb comes in the second position. In this sentence, that gives the normal order:

Stoffprøven passer til jakken.

That is the most natural neutral wording.

Yes, you may hear matcher in modern Norwegian, especially in everyday speech and fashion contexts, because it is borrowed from English.

But passer til is very natural and common Norwegian.

There is a small nuance:

• matcher focuses strongly on matching
• passer til can mean goes with, suits, or is suitable with

So passer til is a very useful, idiomatic expression to learn.

Normally, no. In this sentence, the meaning is that the fabric sample goes with or matches the jacket.

The key clue is til:

• passer til = goes with / matches / suits

If you want to talk about physical fit, Norwegian usually uses å passe without til, depending on the context:

• Jakken passer. = The jacket fits.
• Jakken passer meg. = The jacket fits me.

So passer til strongly suggests a relationship of matching rather than size.

A rough pronunciation guide for a native English speaker is:

STOFF-prø-ven PASS-er til YAK-ken

A few helpful notes:

• stoff has a short vowel and a strong ff
• prø has the Norwegian ø, which does not exist in English
• passer has a clear double s
• jakken has a short a and a doubled kk

A very rough English-friendly approximation could be:

STOFF-pruh-ven PASS-er til YAHK-ken

But that does not capture the vowel ø very well. If you are studying pronunciation, ø is worth practicing separately.

Yes, especially in contexts like:

• sewing
• tailoring
• fashion
• furniture
• interior design
• fabric shopping

It refers to a small piece of material used to check color, texture, or quality.

Depending on context, English might translate it as:

• fabric sample
• cloth sample
• swatch

So this sentence sounds quite natural in a context where someone is comparing materials with a jacket.