Minstemålet gjelder ikke krokstørrelsen.

Minstemålet is a noun in the definite singular form.

It is built from:

• minste = minimum / smallest
• mål = measure, size limit, required length
• -et = the definite ending for a neuter noun

So:

• et minstemål = a minimum size / minimum legal measure
• minstemålet = the minimum size / the minimum legal measure

In contexts like fishing, hunting, or regulations, minstemål often refers to a legally required minimum size.

Gjelder is the present tense of å gjelde.

The verb å gjelde can mean things like:

• to apply
• to concern
• to be valid for
• to refer to

In this sentence, it means something like applies to or is valid for.

Examples:

• Regelen gjelder alle. = The rule applies to everyone.
• Dette gjelder ikke meg. = This does not apply to me.

So in your sentence, gjelder tells you that the minimum size rule does not apply to the hook size.

In a normal Norwegian main clause, ikke usually comes after the finite verb.

So the pattern is often:

• subject + verb + ikke + ...

That is exactly what happens here:

• Minstemålet = subject
• gjelder = finite verb
• ikke = negation

So:

• Minstemålet gjelder ikke krokstørrelsen.

This is standard Norwegian word order.

Compare:

• Jeg forstår ikke. = I do not understand.
• Han kommer ikke. = He is not coming.

Krokstørrelsen is the definite singular form:

• en krokstørrelse = a hook size
• krokstørrelsen = the hook size

The ending -en marks definite singular for a masculine/feminine noun used as masculine in Bokmål.

Why the definite form here? Because the sentence is referring to the hook size as a specific category or parameter, not just hook size in a vague, indefinite sense.

This is very common in Norwegian, especially in formal or technical language.

Yes. Norwegian very often combines nouns into one word.

krokstørrelsen is made from:

• krok = hook
• størrelse = size
• -n / -en = definite ending

So:

• krokstørrelse = hook size
• krokstørrelsen = the hook size

This kind of noun compounding is extremely common in Norwegian.

Other similar examples:

• fiskestang = fishing rod
• båtmotor = boat motor
• minstemål = minimum size limit

Because å gjelde can take a direct object in Norwegian.

So Norwegian often says:

• Regelen gjelder dette. = The rule applies to this.
• Loven gjelder alle. = The law applies to everyone.

English usually needs to in apply to, but Norwegian often does not.

That is why:

• Minstemålet gjelder ikke krokstørrelsen.

sounds natural.

You may also sometimes see gjelde for, especially in other contexts:

• Regelen gjelder ikke for barn. = The rule does not apply to children.

But in your sentence, the direct-object structure is perfectly normal.

It functions as the object of the verb gjelder.

So the sentence structure is:

• Minstemålet = subject
• gjelder = verb
• ikke = negation
• krokstørrelsen = object

In simple terms: the sentence says what the minimum size rule does not apply to.

It is singular because the sentence is talking about one rule or one minimum-size requirement.

Norwegian often uses the singular when referring to a regulation or standard as a single concept.

So:

• minstemålet = the minimum size requirement

If there were several different minimum sizes, you might see a plural form instead, but here singular is the natural choice.

Yes, but the original is the most neutral and standard version.

For example, if you wanted to emphasize krokstørrelsen, you could move it to the front:

• Krokstørrelsen gjelder minstemålet ikke for.

But that version is awkward and not natural.

A more realistic alternative would be something like:

• For krokstørrelsen gjelder ikke minstemålet.

This means roughly the same thing, but it shifts the emphasis.

Still, the original sentence:

• Minstemålet gjelder ikke krokstørrelsen.

is the clearest and most straightforward form.

It sounds formal, factual, and regulatory.

This is the kind of sentence you might read in:

• fishing rules
• official guidelines
• legal or technical text
• instructions

It does not sound casual or conversational. In everyday speech, someone might express the same idea more loosely, but this wording is very typical for rule-based language.

A careful approximate pronunciation is:

MIN-steh-moh-let YEL-der IK-keh KROK-stur-rel-sen

A few helpful notes:

• gjelder begins with a sound a bit like y in English
• ikke has a clear double consonant, so the vowel is short
• ø in størrelsen is a vowel that English does not really have; it is somewhat similar to the vowel in French deux or German schön

If you want to sound natural, focus especially on:

• clear stress on the first syllable of each compound:
  • MINSTE-målet
  • KROK-størrelsen
• keeping ikke short and crisp