Fangen prøver å unnslippe.

Because fangen is the definite singular form of fange.

• en fange = a prisoner
• fangen = the prisoner

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun as a suffix, rather than written as a separate word like English the.

Prøver is the present tense of å prøve (to try).

So:

• å prøve = to try
• prøver = tries / is trying

In Norwegian, verbs usually do not change according to the subject the way they do in English. So you get:

• jeg prøver = I try / am trying
• du prøver = you try / are trying
• fangen prøver = the prisoner tries / is trying

The verb form stays the same.

The å is the infinitive marker, like English to in to escape.

After prøver, Norwegian normally uses:

• prøver å + infinitive

So:

• prøver å unnslippe = tries to escape

This is very common in Norwegian:

• Han prøver å sove = He is trying to sleep
• Vi prøver å lære norsk = We are trying to learn Norwegian

Å unnslippe means to escape, to get away, or to evade.

It can be used in several situations, for example:

• escaping from a place or a person
• escaping punishment
• avoiding something unpleasant

In this sentence, it means the prisoner is trying to get away.

A learner should know that for prisoners, Norwegian also very often uses å rømme:

• Fangen prøver å rømme = The prisoner is trying to escape

That may sound even more natural in many contexts, but unnslippe is still understandable and correct.

No, this is basic Norwegian main-clause word order:

• Fangen = subject
• prøver = finite verb
• å unnslippe = infinitive phrase

So the structure is:

Subject + verb + infinitive phrase

That is very similar to English:

The prisoner + tries + to escape

Yes. Norwegian present tense often covers both the simple present and the present progressive in English.

So Fangen prøver å unnslippe can mean:

• The prisoner tries to escape
• The prisoner is trying to escape

Usually the context tells you which one is meant.

You would say:

En fange prøver å unnslippe.

Compare:

• En fange = a prisoner
• Fangen = the prisoner

So the sentence changes depending on whether the prisoner is indefinite or definite.

Traditionally, fange is a masculine noun:

• en fange
• fangen
• fanger
• fangene

In Bokmål, many masculine nouns can also be treated in a more gender-neutral/common-gender way in practice, but for learners, the forms above are the standard ones to remember.

Å is pronounced like a long vowel, roughly similar to the vowel in British English law or more, though not exactly the same.

In this sentence, it is an unstressed little word, so it is often said quickly.

It is important not to confuse:

• å = the infinitive marker, like to
• og = and

Learners often mix these up in writing.

A rough guide is PRUH-ver or PRØ-ver, but the vowel ø does not exist in standard English, so the exact sound takes practice.

A few points:

• prøv- has the vowel ø
• the final -er is usually pronounced lightly
• stress is on the first syllable

If you know IPA, it is approximately [ˈprøːvər] in careful speech.

Roughly: OON-slip-peh, with stress on the second part: -slip-.

A few things to notice:

• unn- is short and unstressed
• slippe sounds a bit like English slip, but with a Norwegian vowel quality
• the final -e is pronounced

A careful approximate pronunciation is [ʉnˈslɪpə].

Yes. That is a very natural English translation.

Because prøver å literally means tries to, it can often also be rendered as:

• is trying to
• is attempting to

depending on the context and style.

Yes, it is grammatical and understandable.

However, if you are specifically talking about a prisoner escaping from prison, many native speakers would very naturally say:

Fangen prøver å rømme.

That is because rømme is a very common verb for escaping, especially from prison, custody, or confinement.

So:

• Fangen prøver å unnslippe = correct
• Fangen prøver å rømme = often more idiomatic in this exact situation