Sugekraften øker; det er ikke dermed sagt at flekkrengjøringen lykkes.

-en is the definite ending for many Norwegian common-gender nouns, so sugekraften means the suction power rather than just suction power.

• sugekraft = suction power
• sugekraften = the suction power

In this sentence, the speaker is referring to a specific suction power already being discussed, so the definite form is natural.

Øker is the present tense of å øke, meaning to increase.

So:

• Sugekraften øker = The suction power increases / is increasing

It is not økes because here sugekraften is doing the action itself grammatically: it increases.

Compare:

• Sugekraften øker = The suction power increases
• Sugekraften økes = The suction power is increased

The second version would suggest that someone or something is increasing it.

This is a very common fixed expression in Norwegian. It means something like:

• that does not mean that...
• it does not automatically follow that...
• that is not to say that...

So the sentence is saying:

• The suction power increases;
• but that does not mean that the spot-cleaning will succeed.

It is quite idiomatic, so it is best learned as a whole expression rather than word by word.

Dermed usually means thereby, with that, as a result, or from that depending on context.

In det er ikke dermed sagt, it contributes the idea:

• it is not thereby said
• in more natural English: that does not mean

So dermed links the first statement to the conclusion that someone might wrongly draw from it.

This det is a dummy or formal subject, similar to English it in expressions like:

• It is clear that...
• It is said that...

Norwegian often uses det this way. So:

• Det er ikke dermed sagt at ...

literally looks a bit like:

• It is not thereby said that ...

But the real meaning is more idiomatic: That does not mean that ...

At means that and introduces a subordinate clause.

So:

• det er ikke dermed sagt at flekkrengjøringen lykkes

means:

• that does not mean that the spot-cleaning succeeds

This is very normal after expressions involving saying, thinking, knowing, meaning, and similar ideas.

It is a compound noun, which is extremely common in Norwegian.

It is made from:

• flekk = stain / spot
• rengjøring = cleaning

Together:

• flekkrengjøring = spot-cleaning / stain cleaning
• flekkrengjøringen = the spot-cleaning

The final -en again makes it definite.

Norwegian often creates long compound nouns where English might use two or more separate words.

No. Here lykkes means succeeds or is successful, not a passive form.

The verb is å lykkes, meaning to succeed.

So:

• flekkrengjøringen lykkes = the spot-cleaning succeeds / is successful

This can confuse English speakers because -s forms in Norwegian sometimes look passive, but lykkes is just the present tense of the verb lykkes.

Yes. While English often says a person succeeds, Norwegian can also let a process, attempt, treatment, or action lykkes.

For example:

• Planen lykkes. = The plan succeeds.
• Operasjonen lyktes. = The operation was successful.
• Flekkrengjøringen lykkes. = The spot-cleaning succeeds / is successful.

So this usage is perfectly natural.

The basic word order is straightforward here because this is a main clause followed by a subordinate clause:

• det = subject
• er = verb
• ikke = negation
• dermed sagt = part of the fixed expression
• at ... = subordinate clause

Inside the at-clause, the order is also normal:

• flekkrengjøringen = subject
• lykkes = verb

So the grammar is not unusual; the main difficulty is really the idiomatic expression det er ikke dermed sagt.

The semicolon links two closely related independent clauses:

• Sugekraften øker
• det er ikke dermed sagt at flekkrengjøringen lykkes

It signals a strong connection in meaning, a bit like:

• The suction power increases; however, that does not mean the spot-cleaning succeeds.

A comma alone would usually be wrong here, because these are two full clauses. You could also rewrite it with men:

• Sugekraften øker, men det er ikke dermed sagt at flekkrengjøringen lykkes.

That would also be natural.

It sounds fairly formal or written-neutral, especially because of the expression det er ikke dermed sagt.

It is not unnatural in speech, but in casual everyday conversation people might choose simpler alternatives such as:

• Sugekraften øker, men det betyr ikke nødvendigvis at flekkrengjøringen lykkes.
• ... men det betyr ikke at flekkrengjøringen automatisk lykkes.

So the original sentence has a slightly polished, explanatory tone.

A very natural way to understand it is:

• The suction power increases, but that does not necessarily mean the spot-cleaning will succeed.

Other good renderings are:

• Increased suction power does not automatically mean successful spot-cleaning.
• The suction power is higher; that does not in itself mean the spot-cleaning works.

The key idea is: one improvement does not automatically guarantee the desired result.