Stiklingen har nye røtter.

Stiklingen means the cutting: a piece of a plant that has been cut off and is being grown so it develops roots and becomes a new plant.

So the base noun is en stikling = a cutting
and stiklingen = the cutting.

In Norwegian, the definite article is often added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word in front.

So:

• en stikling = a cutting
• stiklingen = the cutting

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

Because Norwegian usually expresses the by attaching an ending to the noun.

Compare:

• en rot = a root
• roten = the root
• en stikling = a cutting
• stiklingen = the cutting

A separate word like den can appear with adjectives in some structures, but in this sentence it is not needed.

Because har means has / have, which is used for possession.

• Stiklingen har nye røtter = The cutting has new roots

If you used er, that would mean is, which would change the meaning completely.

So:

• har = has
• er = is

Because røtter is plural, and the adjective has to match that.

Here are the relevant forms of ny:

• ny = singular common gender
• nytt = singular neuter
• nye = plural, and also some definite contexts

Since røtter means roots (plural), you need nye:

• en ny rot = a new root
• nye røtter = new roots

Røtter is the indefinite plural of rot.

The forms are:

• en rot = a root
• rota / roten = the root
• røtter = roots
• røttene = the roots

So in the sentence, nye røtter means new roots, not the new roots.

Because Norwegian often uses no article with indefinite plural nouns.

Compare English and Norwegian:

• a root → en rot
• roots → røtter

So:

• har røtter = has roots
• har nye røtter = has new roots

If you wanted the new roots, you would say de nye røttene.

No, this is normal Norwegian word order:

Stiklingen (subject) + har (verb) + nye røtter (object)

That is the same basic order as in English:

The cutting + has + new roots

So this is a very straightforward sentence structurally.

The tricky part is ø.

A practical guide:

• ø is a rounded vowel
• It is somewhat similar to the vowel in French peu or German schön
• For English speakers, there is no perfect match

Approximate pronunciation of røtter: ROT-ter is not correct, but it can help as a rough first step if you then move the vowel forward in the mouth and round your lips.

Also note that tt makes the consonant short and clear, so the vowel before it is short.

In normal everyday usage, stikling usually refers to a plant cutting.

So if you see stiklingen har nye røtter, the natural interpretation is that a propagated plant cutting has started rooting.

It would not normally mean seedling. A seedling is something grown from seed, not from a cutting.

Here are some useful comparisons:

• En stikling har en ny rot. = A cutting has a new root.
• En stikling har nye røtter. = A cutting has new roots.
• Stiklingen har nye røtter. = The cutting has new roots.
• Stiklingen har røtter. = The cutting has roots.
• Stiklingen får røtter. = The cutting is getting roots / develops roots.

This helps show how en / -en, singular/plural, and adjective forms work together.