Fiskesnellen holder fiskesnøret.

Because Norwegian, like English, often makes compound nouns by joining words together, but Norwegian does this even more consistently.

• fiske = fishing / fish-
• snelle = reel

So fiskesnelle means fishing reel.

Then fiskesnellen means the fishing reel. The -n at the end is part of the definite form.

The same thing happens with:

• fiskesnøre = fishing line
• fiskesnøret = the fishing line

So this sentence uses two compound nouns:

• fiskesnellen
• fiskesnøret

In Norwegian, the is usually added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.

So:

• snelle = reel
• snellen / snella = the reel (depending on form/dialect/style)

And:

• snøre = line
• snøret = the line

In your sentence:

• fiskesnellen = the fishing reel
• fiskesnøret = the fishing line

So the sentence already includes the twice, but as endings rather than separate words.

Because Norwegian nouns have different grammatical genders, and the definite ending depends on the gender.

Here:

• en snelle → snellen / fiskesnellen
• et snøre → snøret / fiskesnøret

So:

• -en is a common definite ending for many masculine nouns
• -et is a common definite ending for many neuter nouns

That is why you get:

• fiskesnellen = the fishing reel
• fiskesnøret = the fishing line

Holder is the present tense of the verb å holde.

So:

• å holde = to hold
• holder = hold / holds

In this sentence:

• Fiskesnellen holder fiskesnøret.
• The fishing reel holds the fishing line.

Norwegian verbs do not change depending on the subject the way English does.

For example:

• Jeg holder = I hold
• Du holder = you hold
• Han holder = he holds
• De holder = they hold

It is always holder in the present tense.

No, this is a very basic subject–verb–object sentence.

• Fiskesnellen = subject
• holder = verb
• fiskesnøret = object

So the structure is:

Subject + verb + object

That is the same basic order as in English:

The fishing reel + holds + the fishing line

This makes the sentence very straightforward for an English speaker.

In this sentence, the first noun before the verb is the subject, so fiskesnellen is doing the action.

• Fiskesnellen = the thing that holds
• fiskesnøret = the thing being held

So the sentence means that the reel is holding the line, not the other way around.

Word order is the main clue here.

Here holder means something like:

• holds
• keeps in place
• supports
• retains

So the idea is that the fishing reel is the part that the fishing line is attached to or wound onto.

Depending on context, å holde can have several meanings in Norwegian, just like to hold in English. But in this sentence, the physical meaning is the natural one.

That -e- is a linking element often used in Norwegian compounds.

So instead of:

• fisk + snelle

you get:

• fiske + snelle → fiskesnelle

And instead of:

• fisk + snøre

you get:

• fiske + snøre → fiskesnøre

You do not always have to think of this as a separate word with a separate meaning. Very often, it is just the normal way the compound is formed.

For learners, the best approach is usually to memorize the full compound:

• fiskesnelle
• fiskesnøre

rather than trying to build every compound from scratch at first.

Grammatically, yes, that is possible, but it changes the meaning.

• Fiskesnellen holder fiskesnøret = The fishing reel holds the fishing line
• En fiskesnelle holder et fiskesnøre = A fishing reel holds a fishing line

The sentence you were given is definite: it refers to a specific reel and a specific line, or to them as identified objects.

So the version with definite endings is not random; it matches a meaning with the.

A rough guide:

• fiske sounds roughly like FIS-keh
• snøre has the vowel ø, which does not exist in standard English

The ø sound is somewhat like:

• the vowel in British English bird or burn, but with rounded lips

So snøre is approximately:

• SNUR-eh or SNØ-reh as a rough learner aid

And fiskesnøret is roughly:

• FIS-keh-snø-ret

The exact pronunciation will depend on accent, but the main thing is:

• keep ø distinct from o
• pronounce the whole compound as one word

No. In Norwegian, you normally capitalize only:

• the first word in the sentence
• proper names

So:

• Fiskesnellen holder fiskesnøret.

Only Fiskesnellen is capitalized because it starts the sentence. Nouns are not capitalized in Norwegian the way they are in German.