Matingen følger blandingsforholdet.

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

• mating = the base noun
• matingen = the
  • noun

The ending -en is the definite singular ending for many common-gender nouns.

The base form is mating.

So the pattern is:

• en mating = an indefinite form
• matingen = the definite form

Depending on context, mating can be translated in different ways, but grammatically the important point is that matingen is the definite singular form.

For the same reason: it is also a definite singular noun.

• et blandingsforhold = an indefinite form
• blandingsforholdet = the definite form

Here, -et shows that blandingsforhold is a neuter noun.

Because Norwegian uses compound nouns very freely.

Blandingsforholdet is built like this:

• blanding = mixing
• forhold = ratio / relation / proportion
• blandingsforhold = mixing ratio
• blandingsforholdet = the mixing ratio

English often uses two words where Norwegian prefers one compound word.

Følger is the present tense of å følge, which means to follow.

A useful mini-paradigm is:

• å følge = to follow
• følger = follows / is following
• fulgte = followed
• har fulgt = has/have followed

No. Norwegian verbs do not change for person in the present tense.

You say:

• jeg følger
• du følger
• han følger
• vi følger

So følger stays the same no matter who or what the subject is.

Not necessarily.

Å følge can mean:

• to follow physically
• to follow a rule
• to comply with
• to match or conform to something

In this sentence, it most likely means something like follows, conforms to, or is in accordance with, not literal movement.

It is standard subject-verb-object order:

• Matingen = subject
• følger = verb
• blandingsforholdet = object

So the sentence structure is very similar to English.

Because in Norwegian, the is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.

So:

• en mating → matingen
• et blandingsforhold → blandingsforholdet

A separate definite word can appear when there is an adjective or another modifier, for example:

• det riktige blandingsforholdet = the correct mixing ratio

This is a common feature of Norwegian grammar.

Because both nouns are presented as specific things, not just any feeding/feed and any ratio.

So the sentence is talking about:

• matingen = the specific feeding/feed already understood from context
• blandingsforholdet = the specific mixing ratio already understood from context

That is why both nouns take definite endings.

The endings tell you the genders:

• matingen → mating is common gender
• blandingsforholdet → blandingsforhold is neuter

That gives you the indefinite forms:

• en mating
• et blandingsforhold

You could, but it would change the meaning and sound less natural in many contexts.

Without the definite endings, the sentence would be more general or indefinite. With matingen and blandingsforholdet, it clearly refers to specific things already known in the situation.

So the endings are important, not optional.

The hardest part for many English speakers is ø.

A rough guide:

• følger ≈ FØL-ger

The vowel ø does not have a perfect English equivalent. It is pronounced with the tongue fairly forward in the mouth and with rounded lips.

If you already know some other European languages, it is similar to:

• German ö
• French eu in some words

The important thing is not to pronounce it like a plain English o.