Etter alt å dømme må låsesmeden undersøke låskassen.

Yes, it is basically a fixed expression. Etter alt å dømme means judging by everything, all things considered, or more naturally in English, apparently / it seems that / by all appearances.

You do not usually translate it word for word in normal English, even though the literal parts are:

• etter = after / according to
• alt = everything
• å dømme = to judge

So the whole phrase works idiomatically as a sentence adverbial that gives the speaker’s assessment of the situation.

In this expression, å dømme is part of the idiom etter alt å dømme. It is not being used in the same way as a normal infinitive clause you might build freely yourself. Think of it as a set phrase meaning to judge from everything or judging by everything.

So even though å dømme literally means to judge, in this sentence you should learn the whole chunk together:

• Etter alt å dømme = judging by everything / apparently

This is similar to how English learners often memorize expressions like all things considered as a whole.

Må can mean both:

1. must / has to = obligation or necessity
2. must = logical conclusion or strong probability

In this sentence, the exact meaning depends on context. Without more context, many learners would first read it as must / has to, meaning the locksmith needs to examine the lock case.

But because the sentence begins with Etter alt å dømme, it can also sound like a conclusion: apparently, the locksmith must examine the lock case or it seems the locksmith needs to examine the lock case.

So må is one of those Norwegian modals whose meaning has to be understood from the situation.

This is because Norwegian follows the V2 rule in main clauses. That means the finite verb usually comes in the second position.

Here, Etter alt å dømme is placed first. Because that first element takes up position 1, the finite verb må must come next:

• Etter alt å dømme = position 1
• må = position 2
• låsesmeden = after the verb

So:

• Etter alt å dømme må låsesmeden undersøke låskassen. ✅

Not:

• Etter alt å dømme låsesmeden må undersøke låskassen. ❌

This is very common in Norwegian whenever you begin with a time phrase, adverbial, or expression like this.

Låsesmeden means the locksmith.

It is made up of:

• lås = lock
• smed = smith / craftsman

Together, låsesmed means locksmith, and the -en ending makes it definite singular:

• en låsesmed = a locksmith
• låsesmeden = the locksmith

This is a very typical Norwegian compound noun.

Låskassen means the lock case or the lock body/mechanism housing, depending on context.

It is another compound noun:

• lås = lock
• kasse = box / casing / case

And again, -en makes it definite singular:

• en låskasse = a lock case
• låskassen = the lock case

In practical use, this often refers to the part of a door lock mechanism inside the door.

Norwegian often uses the definite form when the speaker has a specific, known thing in mind.

So:

• låsesmeden = the locksmith
• låskassen = the lock case

This could mean:

• a particular locksmith already known in the conversation
• a particular lock case that has already been mentioned or is obvious from context

English and Norwegian often behave similarly here, but Norwegian may use the definite form in some situations where English might choose a different wording depending on context.

Undersøke is the infinitive form of the verb, meaning to examine / inspect / investigate.

It appears in the infinitive here because it follows the modal verb må:

• må undersøke = must examine / has to examine

This is the normal pattern in Norwegian:

• kan komme = can come
• vil spise = wants to eat / will eat
• må undersøke = must examine

Notice that after modal verbs like må, Norwegian normally uses the infinitive without adding another finite verb ending.

Norwegian usually does not use a direct equivalent of the English be + -ing form in ordinary sentences.

So undersøke here simply means examine / inspect, and whether the action is ongoing, planned, or necessary depends on context.

For example:

• låsesmeden undersøker låskassen = the locksmith examines / is examining the lock case
• låsesmeden må undersøke låskassen = the locksmith must examine the lock case

So learners should not expect a separate progressive form like English has.

It is fairly natural and standard, but it sounds a bit more polished than very basic everyday speech. It is not extremely formal, but it does have a somewhat written or careful tone.

In casual speech, people might more often say things like:

• tydeligvis = apparently
• visst = apparently / seemingly
• det ser ut til at ... = it looks like ...

Still, Etter alt å dømme is perfectly normal Norwegian and useful to know.

Yes, absolutely. Norwegian uses compound nouns very often, and this sentence gives you two good examples:

• låsesmed = lås
  • smed
• låskasse = lås
  • kasse

A few important things to notice:

1. They are written as one word, not two.
2. The first part often narrows the meaning of the second part.
3. The definite ending is added to the whole compound:
   • låsesmed → låsesmeden
   • låskasse → låskassen

This is a very productive pattern in Norwegian, so getting comfortable with compounds is important.

This is a good observation. Norwegian compounds do not always use the exact same linking pattern.

• lås is the basic noun lock
• In låskasse, it stays close to that form: lås + kasse
• In låsesmed, you get låse- as a linking form: låse + smed

These linking elements are common in Scandinavian compounds and are often something you simply learn with the word. There is not always a simple rule that predicts every form.

So for learners, it is best to memorize the full compound:

• låsesmed
• låskasse

rather than trying to build every compound from scratch.

In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes first:

• Må låsesmeden undersøke låskassen?
• Does the locksmith have to examine the lock case?

If you keep the opening phrase, you could also say:

• Må låsesmeden etter alt å dømme undersøke låskassen?

But that sounds less natural than the original statement. In practice, if you want to ask about the whole idea, you would more likely rephrase it depending on what exactly you are asking.

A natural rhythm would usually give some stress to the key content words:

Etter alt å dømme må LÅsesmeden underSØke LÅSkassen.

A few pronunciation points:

• må has a long vowel, roughly like moh.
• undersøke has stress on sø.
• låsesmeden and låskassen both begin with lås-, with a long å sound.
• In natural speech, Etter alt å dømme may be said fairly smoothly as one chunk.

If you are practicing, it helps to treat the sentence in three rhythm groups:

• Etter alt å dømme
• må låsesmeden
• undersøke låskassen

That makes it sound more natural and easier to say.