Lydsignalet kommer før lyseffekten.

Because both nouns are in the singular definite form.

• et lydsignal = a sound signal

• lydsignalet = the sound signal

• en lyseffekt = a light effect
• lyseffekten = the light effect

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word like the in English.

The ending depends on the noun’s gender:

• en-words usually take -en in the definite singular
• et-words usually take -et in the definite singular

So here:

• lydsignal is a neuter noun: et lydsignal → lydsignalet
• lyseffekt is masculine: en lyseffekt → lyseffekten

Even though both end in -et, they are not the same gender:

• lydsignalet: the -et is the normal neuter definite ending
• lyseffekten: the word already ends in -ekt, and then the masculine definite ending -en is added

Lydsignalet is built from:

• lyd = sound
• signal = signal
• -et = the for a neuter singular noun

So:

• et lydsignal = a sound signal
• lydsignalet = the sound signal

This is a very common Norwegian pattern: nouns are often combined into one compound word.

Yes. Lyseffekten comes from:

• lys = light
• effekt = effect
• -en = the for a masculine singular noun

So:

• en lyseffekt = a light effect
• lyseffekten = the light effect

Notice that in compounds, Norwegian usually writes the parts as one word, not two. So lyseffekt is correct, not lys effekt.

Yes, kommer is the present tense of å komme, which usually means to come.

But in sentences like this, kommer før often means something like:

• comes before
• happens before
• occurs before

So Lydsignalet kommer før lyseffekten means the sound signal happens first.

This is natural Norwegian wording for sequence or timing.

Because er før sounds unnatural in this context.

In English, we sometimes use is before to describe order, but Norwegian more naturally uses verbs like:

• kommer før = comes before
• skjer før = happens before

So for events, effects, signals, steps, and similar things, kommer før is the better choice.

Før means before.

In this sentence, it shows that one thing happens earlier than another:

• Lydsignalet kommer før lyseffekten
  = The sound signal comes before the light effect

Før can be used in different ways in Norwegian, for example:

• as a preposition: før maten = before the meal
• as a conjunction: før vi går = before we go

Here it is linking two noun phrases: lydsignalet and lyseffekten.

The basic structure is:

• Lydsignalet = subject
• kommer = verb
• før lyseffekten = phrase showing order/time relation

So the sentence follows a normal Norwegian main-clause pattern:

Subject + Verb + Other information

That is very common in simple statements.

Also, Norwegian is a V2 language, which means the finite verb normally comes in the second position in main clauses. Since the subject is first here, the verb naturally comes right after it.

Yes. That means:

The light effect comes after the sound signal.

It expresses the same timing relationship, just from the other perspective.

Compare:

• Lydsignalet kommer før lyseffekten
• Lyseffekten kommer etter lydsignalet

Both are natural.

No. In Norwegian, you normally do not add a separate word for the in simple definite forms like these.

So:

• lydsignalet already means the sound signal
• lyseffekten already means the light effect

That is why you do not say something like det lydsignalet here.

A separate determiner can appear in other structures, but not in this plain sentence.

It would be:

Et lydsignal kommer før en lyseffekt.

That means:

A sound signal comes before a light effect.

Compare:

• Lydsignalet kommer før lyseffekten = The sound signal comes before the light effect
• Et lydsignal kommer før en lyseffekt = A sound signal comes before a light effect

So the original sentence is talking about specific, known items.

A rough guide for an English speaker could be:

LYYD-sig-nah-let KOM-mer fuhr LYYS-ef-fek-ten

A few helpful points:

• y in lyd and lys is not like English y. It is a rounded vowel that many learners find tricky.
• kj does not appear here, so pronunciation is more straightforward than in many Norwegian words.
• Stress is usually on the first part of these compound nouns:
  • LYDsignalet
  • LYSeffekten

Exact pronunciation varies a bit by dialect, but this rough pattern is fine for learners.

Yes, several common Norwegian features appear here:

1. Compound nouns

   • lydsignal
   • lyseffekt

2. Definite endings attached to the noun

   • lydsignalet
   • lyseffekten

3. Present tense with -r

   • kommer

4. Simple main-clause word order

   • subject first, verb second

5. Using a verb like kommer to describe sequence

   • comes before / happens before

So although the sentence is short, it shows several very typical Norwegian patterns.