Så vidt jeg kan se, er overgangstiden kort.

As far as I can see, the transfer time is short.

Breakdown of Så vidt jeg kan se, er overgangstiden kort.

• jeg: I
• være: to be
• se: to see
• kort: short

Questions & Answers about Så vidt jeg kan se, er overgangstiden kort.

What does så vidt mean here?

Here, så vidt is part of the fixed expression så vidt jeg kan se, which means as far as I can see or as far as I can tell. It introduces the speaker’s judgment in a cautious, non-absolute way.

It is best to learn så vidt jeg kan se as a whole chunk, rather than trying to translate each word separately.

Does så vidt always mean as far as?

No. Så vidt can also mean barely or just in other contexts.

For example: Jeg rakk så vidt bussen = I just barely caught the bus.

So the meaning depends on the structure around it. In så vidt jeg kan se, it has the as far as I can see meaning.

Why is it jeg kan se and not kan jeg se?

Because jeg kan se is part of the introductory expression så vidt jeg kan se, which behaves like an embedded or subordinate-style clause. In that kind of clause, Norwegian normally keeps subject + verb order:

jeg kan se

The inversion happens in the main clause after the comma: er overgangstiden kort

So the sentence is divided like this:

Så vidt jeg kan se = introductory clause
er overgangstiden kort = main clause