Vi fisker etter ørreten.

Fisker is the present tense of the verb å fiske (to fish).

So:

• å fiske = to fish
• fisker = fish / am fishing / are fishing / is fishing

Norwegian does not change the verb depending on the subject the way English does. So you get:

• jeg fisker = I fish / I am fishing
• du fisker = you fish / you are fishing
• vi fisker = we fish / we are fishing

In this sentence, fisker is a verb, not a noun.

Yes, fisker can also be a noun meaning fisherman / fisher, depending on context.

For example:

• Han er fisker. = He is a fisherman.

But in Vi fisker etter ørreten, it is clearly a verb, because it comes right after the subject vi.

So the structure is:

• Vi = subject
• fisker = verb
• etter ørreten = prepositional phrase

In Norwegian, the verb phrase å fiske etter means to fish for.

So this is not a word-for-word match with English. Norwegian uses etter here, even though English uses for.

Compare:

• fiske etter laks = fish for salmon
• lete etter nøklene = look for the keys

So etter often has the idea of searching for, going after, or trying to catch/find something.

Normally, no—not if you mean we are fishing for the trout.

You usually say:

• Vi fisker etter ørreten.

That is the natural way to express trying to catch it.

If you remove etter, it no longer sounds like the normal expression for fishing for something. The preposition is an important part of the phrase fiske etter.

Ørret means trout in the indefinite form.
Ørreten is the definite singular form, meaning the trout.

So:

• en ørret = a trout
• ørreten = the trout

Norwegian often puts definiteness at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

That is one of the biggest differences from English.

The basic noun is ørret (trout).

It is a masculine noun in Bokmål, so its common forms are:

• en ørret = a trout
• ørreten = the trout
• ørreter = trout / trouts
• ørretene = the trout (plural)

So ørreten = ørret + -en, where -en is the definite singular ending.

The difference is mostly indefinite vs definite:

• Vi fisker etter ørret = We are fishing for trout / for a trout / for trout in general
• Vi fisker etter ørreten = We are fishing for the trout

Using ørreten makes it sound like a specific trout is meant—perhaps one already known in the conversation.

Using ørret sounds more general.

It can mean both.

Norwegian present tense often covers both:

• We fish
• We are fishing

The exact meaning depends on context.

So Vi fisker etter ørreten could mean:

• We fish for the trout
  or
• We are fishing for the trout

If you need to make the ongoing action extra clear, Norwegian can also use context or a longer expression, but the simple present is very common.

Yes. In a normal main clause, Norwegian usually follows subject + verb + other elements.

So here:

• Vi = subject
• fisker = verb
• etter ørreten = prepositional phrase

This gives:

• Vi fisker etter ørreten.

That is the normal word order for a straightforward statement.

In a yes/no question, Norwegian typically puts the verb before the subject.

So:

• Vi fisker etter ørreten. = We are fishing for the trout.
• Fisker vi etter ørreten? = Are we fishing for the trout?

This verb-second pattern is very important in Norwegian.

The tricky part for many English speakers is ø.

A rough guide:

• ø is a rounded vowel that does not exist exactly in standard English
• your lips should be rounded somewhat, but the tongue is more forward than for o

A very rough approximation of ørret might sound a bit like UR-ret or ER-ret, but neither is exact.

A breakdown:

• ørret ≈ ØR-ret
• ørreten ≈ ØR-ret-en

Also remember:

• double consonants like rr often affect vowel length
• the first vowel is short here

If you are learning pronunciation, it is especially worth listening to native audio for ø.

Because Norwegian usually marks definiteness by adding an ending to the noun.

English:

• the trout

Norwegian:

• ørreten

This is completely normal. In many simple cases, Norwegian does not need a separate word equivalent to the.

However, with adjectives, Norwegian often uses both a definite article and a definite noun ending, for example:

• den store ørreten = the big trout

But in your sentence there is no adjective, so ørreten by itself is enough.

This sentence is standard Bokmål.

In Nynorsk, you might more likely see forms such as:

• Vi fiskar etter auren.

Here:

• fiskar corresponds to Bokmål fisker
• auren is a Nynorsk word for the trout

So the sentence you have is clearly a normal Bokmål sentence.