Vi snakker med inspektøren.

We talk to the inspector.

Breakdown of Vi snakker med inspektøren.

• vi: we
• snakke med: to talk to
• inspektøren: the inspector

Questions & Answers about Vi snakker med inspektøren.

Why is it vi and not oss?

Because vi is the subject form of we.

In this sentence, vi is the one doing the action of speaking, so Norwegian uses the subject pronoun:

• vi = we
• oss = us

So:

• Vi snakker ... = We speak / We are speaking ...
• Han snakker med oss. = He is speaking with us.

Why does the verb appear as snakker?

Snakker is the present tense of the verb å snakke (to speak / to talk).

A very useful thing in Norwegian is that the present tense does not change depending on the subject. So you get:

• jeg snakker = I speak / am speaking
• du snakker = you speak / are speaking
• vi snakker = we speak / are speaking

This is much simpler than English, where you have forms like I speak but he speaks.

Does snakker mean speak or are speaking?

It can mean both, depending on context.

Norwegian often uses the simple present where English might use either:

• We speak with the inspector
• We are speaking with the inspector

So Vi snakker med inspektøren can describe either a general present situation or something happening right now. Context tells you which is meant.