Abboren biter ikke engang.

Abboren means the perch.

The base noun is abbor = perch. In Norwegian, the definite article is often attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.

• en abbor = a perch
• abboren = the perch

So -en here is the definite ending.

Yes. Biter is the present tense of å bite = to bite.

• å bite = to bite
• biter = bites / is biting

Norwegian does not usually make the same strong distinction English makes between bites and is biting. Very often, the simple present in Norwegian can correspond to either one in English, depending on context.

So Abboren biter ikke engang can be understood as something like The perch isn’t even biting.

Because Norwegian normally does not form the present progressive the way English does.

English often says:

• The perch is biting

Norwegian usually just uses the present tense:

• Abboren biter

So where English needs is + verb-ing, Norwegian often just uses one present-tense verb form.

This is because of normal main-clause word order in Norwegian.

In a basic statement, Norwegian usually follows this pattern:

• subject + finite verb + ikke

So:

• Abboren biter ikke

not:

• Abboren ikke biter in a normal main clause

This is part of the verb-second pattern in Norwegian. The finite verb tends to come early in the clause, and ikke usually comes after it in ordinary statements.

A useful contrast:

• Main clause: Abboren biter ikke
• Subordinate clause: ... at abboren ikke biter = ... that the perch isn’t biting

Here engang is part of ikke engang, which means not even.

So ikke engang adds emphasis. It suggests surprise, frustration, or that things are especially bad.

Compare:

• Abboren biter ikke. = The perch isn’t biting.
• Abboren biter ikke engang. = The perch isn’t even biting.

So engang makes the sentence stronger.

Not in this use.

In this sentence, engang is the word used in the expression ikke engang = not even.

But en gang usually means once or one time.

For example:

• Jeg var der en gang. = I was there once.
• Ikke engang abboren biter. = Not even the perch is biting.

So although they look similar, they are not the same thing here.

Because bite here is being used in the fishing sense, where it can work without an object.

Just like English can say:

• The fish aren’t biting

Norwegian can say:

• Fisken biter ikke
• Abboren biter ikke

In this context, biter means something like is taking the bait or is biting on the hook/lure. You do not need to say the object explicitly.

Yes, absolutely.

That would be a normal, neutral sentence:

• Abboren biter ikke. = The perch isn’t biting.

Adding engang makes it more emphatic:

• Abboren biter ikke engang. = The perch isn’t even biting.

So the version with engang sounds stronger and more expressive.

Yes, and that slightly changes the emphasis.

• Abboren biter ikke engang. = The sentence ends with not even, which gives a general sense of emphasis.
• Ikke engang abboren biter. = This puts stronger focus on the perch: Not even the perch is biting.

Both are possible, but they spotlight different parts of the sentence.

A rough English-friendly pronunciation would be:

AHB-bor-en BEE-ter IK-ke eng-GONG

A few notes:

• abboren: stress on the first syllable
• biter: bi- sounds like bee
• ikke: the kk is a clear hard k sound
• engang: the stress is mainly on the second part

If you want a more approximate standard Norwegian pronunciation, it is roughly:

AB-bor-en BEE-ter IK-ke eng-GAHNG