Vi avslutter strømmepakken heller enn å beholde den.

Here avslutter means cancel, end, or terminate.

It is the present tense of å avslutte. In different contexts, å avslutte can mean:

• to end / finish something
• to conclude
• to cancel / terminate a service or subscription

In this sentence, because the object is strømmepakken (the streaming package), the most natural meaning is cancel.

Because Norwegian often marks definiteness at the end of the noun.

• en strømmepakke = a streaming package
• strømmepakken = the streaming package

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

So strømmepakken already means the streaming package, which is why there is no separate word for the in front.

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the noun as a suffix.

So instead of saying something like the package, Norwegian often says:

• pakken = the package
• boken = the book
• bilen = the car

That is what is happening in strømmepakken:

• strømmepakke = streaming package
• strømmepakken = the streaming package

Heller enn means rather than.

It introduces a comparison between two choices or actions:

• Vi avslutter strømmepakken heller enn å beholde den. = We cancel the streaming package rather than keep it.

A useful way to think of it is:

• A heller enn B = A rather than B

Because beholde is an infinitive here, and Norwegian usually uses å before the infinitive, much like English to.

• å beholde = to keep

In this sentence, heller enn å beholde den means rather than keeping it / rather than to keep it.

So the structure is:

• heller enn å + infinitive

Examples:

• heller enn å vente = rather than waiting
• heller enn å kjøpe = rather than buying

Å beholde means to keep, to retain, or to hold on to something.

So here:

• å beholde den = to keep it

This is stronger and more specific than just å holde.
For example:

• holde often means hold
• beholde means keep / retain

So beholde is the right verb when talking about continuing to have a subscription, plan, or item.

Den is a pronoun meaning it, referring back to strømmepakken.

Instead of repeating the noun, Norwegian uses a pronoun:

• strømmepakken → den

This is natural and avoids repetition.

So:

• å beholde den = to keep it

Since strømmepakken is a common-gender noun, the pronoun is den, not det.

Because strømmepakke is a common-gender noun.

In Norwegian:

• common gender nouns usually take den
• neuter nouns usually take det

So:

• en strømmepakke → den
• if it were a neuter noun with et, you would usually use det

This is about grammatical gender, not biological gender.

They are similar, but not always identical.

• heller enn = rather than
• i stedet for = instead of

In many sentences, both can work:

• Vi avslutter strømmepakken heller enn å beholde den.
• Vi avslutter strømmepakken i stedet for å beholde den.

Both are understandable and natural.

A small difference:

• heller enn emphasizes preference or comparison
• i stedet for emphasizes replacement or substitution

But in everyday use, the distinction is often small.

The main clause follows normal Norwegian word order:

• Vi = subject
• avslutter = verb
• strømmepakken = object

Then heller enn å beholde den is added as a comparison phrase.

So the structure is:

• Vi
  • avslutter
    • strømmepakken
      • heller enn å beholde den

The part after heller enn is not a full finite clause; it is an infinitive phrase, which is why the sentence stays relatively straightforward.

Yes, that is possible, but heller enn is usually the more direct equivalent of rather than.

• framfor å can also mean rather than
• it can sound a bit more formal or stylistically different depending on context

So:

• Vi avslutter strømmepakken heller enn å beholde den is very clear and natural
• Vi avslutter strømmepakken framfor å beholde den is also possible

For a learner, heller enn is a very useful phrase to know.

Yes, avslutter is present tense.

Norwegian present tense can often correspond to several English forms depending on context:

• we cancel
• we are cancelling
• sometimes even we do cancel

So without more context, Vi avslutter strømmepakken could mean either:

• We cancel the streaming package
• We are cancelling the streaming package

English chooses between simple present and present progressive more strictly than Norwegian does.

Yes, you could repeat the noun, but it would sound heavier and less natural:

• Vi avslutter strømmepakken heller enn å beholde strømmepakken.

That is grammatical, but Norwegian normally prefers the pronoun:

• Vi avslutter strømmepakken heller enn å beholde den.

Using den is the natural choice in most cases.