De skjuler affæren.

Yes, in writing De can be ambiguous.

• de normally means they
• De can also mean a very formal, old-fashioned you

But because this word is at the start of the sentence, it would be capitalized anyway. So the capital D does not by itself prove that it means formal you.

In modern Norwegian, formal De is quite rare, so without special context, learners will usually understand De skjuler affæren as they hide / they are hiding the affair.

Because Norwegian usually puts the definite article onto the end of the noun.

• en affære = an affair
• affæren = the affair

So -en is doing the job of English the here.

This is very normal in Norwegian. You do not usually say a separate word for the before a plain noun like this.

Because affæren is the definite singular form.

The basic pattern is:

• en affære = an affair
• affæren = the affair

So the sentence uses the definite form because it is talking about a specific affair, not just any affair.

Because Norwegian verbs do not change for person the way English verbs sometimes do.

In English, you get forms like:

• I hide
• he hides
• they hide

In Norwegian, the present tense stays the same:

• jeg skjuler
• du skjuler
• han skjuler
• de skjuler

So skjuler works with all subjects in the present tense.

It is the present tense of å skjule.

Norwegian present tense can cover both ideas that English often separates:

• they hide
• they are hiding

So De skjuler affæren could mean either one, depending on context.

If the context is about something happening right now, English would often use are hiding. If it is more general or habitual, English might use hide.

This sentence has the basic Norwegian main-clause order:

Subject + Verb + Object

• De = subject
• skjuler = verb
• affæren = object

So it is a very straightforward sentence.

A useful extra point: Norwegian main clauses usually follow the verb-second rule. That means if something else comes first, the verb still stays in second position:

• De skjuler affæren.
• Nå skjuler de affæren. = Now they are hiding the affair.

Notice that when Nå comes first, the verb skjuler still stays second.

A rough learner-friendly guide would be:

• skjuler ≈ SHOO-ler, but with a Norwegian u sound
• affæren ≈ ah-FEHR-en

A few helpful details:

• skj is usually pronounced like English sh
• u in Norwegian is not exactly the same as English oo, but oo is a useful first approximation
• æ is a front vowel somewhat like the vowel in cat, though not identical
• the ending -en is pronounced clearly

Exact pronunciation varies somewhat by dialect, but this approximation is good enough to get started.

Often, yes. In a sentence like this, affære will usually be understood as a romantic or sexual affair, especially a secret one.

Depending on context, it can sometimes also mean something more like matter, case, or business, but that is less likely here.

So in this sentence, most people would naturally think of a secret relationship.

Usually skjuler is the better choice here.

• skjule = conceal, keep hidden
• gjemme = hide/put away, often for physical things

Because an affair is something abstract, skjule sounds more natural. It suggests covering it up or keeping it secret.

So:

• De skjuler affæren. = very natural
• De gjemmer affæren. = much less natural in this context

For physical objects, gjemme is often the more everyday verb:

• De gjemmer nøklene. = They are hiding the keys.