I motsetning til arvingen arbeider bostyreren med bobehandlingen.

This is because Norwegian follows the V2 rule in main clauses: the finite verb normally comes in second position.

The sentence begins with the adverbial phrase I motsetning til arvingen. Since that element is placed first, the verb must come next:

• I motsetning til arvingen arbeider bostyreren med bobehandlingen.

If you put the subject first instead, then the word order becomes more like this:

• Bostyreren arbeider med bobehandlingen, i motsetning til arvingen.

So arbeider bostyreren is not a question here; it is normal Norwegian word order after a fronted phrase.

I motsetning til means in contrast to, unlike, or as opposed to.

It is a fixed expression:

• i = in
• motsetning = contrast/opposition
• til = to

So the whole phrase functions like a prepositional expression introducing a comparison:

• I motsetning til arvingen ... = Unlike the heir ...

It is very common in both formal and neutral Norwegian.

Examples:

• I motsetning til broren hennes, liker hun kaffe.
  = Unlike her brother, she likes coffee.

• I motsetning til i fjor gikk salget opp.
  = In contrast to last year, sales went up.

The endings -en show the definite singular form of masculine nouns:

• arving = heir

• arvingen = the heir

• bostyrer = estate administrator / trustee
• bostyreren = the estate administrator / trustee

Norwegian often uses the definite form where English also uses the, especially when the person is specific or already known from context.

So this sentence is talking about particular people:

• arvingen = the specific heir
• bostyreren = the specific estate administrator

The verb arbeide means to work. When followed by med, it often means to work on or to deal with something.

So:

• arbeider med bobehandlingen = works on the estate administration/process

This is a very common pattern in Norwegian:

• arbeide med et prosjekt = work on a project
• arbeide med en sak = work on a case
• arbeide med barn = work with children

In this sentence, med does not just mean physical accompaniment like English with can; it marks what the person is occupied with.

Bobehandlingen is the definite form of bobehandling.

This is a compound noun:

• bo = estate, bankruptcy estate, or deceased person’s estate, depending on context
• behandling = treatment, handling, processing

So bobehandling refers to the administration/handling of an estate. In legal language, it can refer to the formal process of dealing with a deceased person’s estate or, in some contexts, a bankruptcy estate.

Therefore:

• bobehandling = estate administration / estate proceedings
• bobehandlingen = the estate administration / the estate proceedings

This is a fairly formal/legal word.

Yes. Arbeider is the present tense of å arbeide.

Forms:

• å arbeide = to work
• arbeider = work / is working
• arbeidet = worked / has worked

In Norwegian, the present tense often covers both English works and is working, depending on context.

So bostyreren arbeider med bobehandlingen could mean:

• The estate administrator works on the estate administration
• The estate administrator is working on the estate administration

In Norwegian, definiteness is usually built into the noun itself by adding an ending, instead of using a separate word like English the.

Examples:

• arving = heir

• arvingen = the heir

• bostyrer = estate administrator

• bostyreren = the estate administrator

• bobehandling = estate administration
• bobehandlingen = the estate administration

So Norwegian normally says:

• arvingen not
• den arvingen

Using den/det/de with a noun is possible in some cases, but usually when there is an adjective:

• den flinke bostyreren = the skilled estate administrator

Yes, that is close literally, but it sounds more natural in English to say:

• Unlike the heir, the estate administrator handles the estate administration.
• Unlike the heir, the estate administrator works on administering the estate.
• In contrast to the heir, the estate administrator deals with the estate proceedings.

The Norwegian sentence is quite formal and legal in tone, so a smoother English translation often uses handles, deals with, or administers instead of a very literal works with.

Yes. In the phrase I motsetning til arvingen, the noun arvingen is governed by the preposition til.

So structurally:

• I motsetning til = fixed prepositional phrase
• arvingen = the noun phrase that completes it

You can think of it as:

• in contrast to the heir

This whole phrase then functions as an introductory adverbial in the sentence.

Not really. Bostyrer is mostly a legal or administrative term.

It usually refers to a person appointed to manage an estate, for example:

• after someone dies
• in bankruptcy proceedings
• in other formal estate-related matters

So a learner should recognize it, but it is not an everyday conversation word like lærer or sjåfør. It belongs more to official, legal, or financial vocabulary.

Yes, but the emphasis changes slightly.

Original:

• I motsetning til arvingen arbeider bostyreren med bobehandlingen.

This emphasizes the contrast first.

A more neutral order:

• Bostyreren arbeider med bobehandlingen i motsetning til arvingen.

However, this version can sound a bit less natural or slightly awkward depending on context. The original version is good because it clearly sets up the contrast at the beginning.

You could also say:

• Bostyreren arbeider med bobehandlingen, i motsetning til arvingen.

That version feels a little more like an added comment at the end.