Kandidaten svarer på spørsmålet.

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun.

• kandidat = candidate
• kandidaten = the candidate

And:

• spørsmål = question
• spørsmålet = the question

So instead of using a separate word like English the, Norwegian often adds an ending to the noun.

That depends on the grammatical gender of the noun.

• kandidat is a masculine noun, so the definite singular is kandidaten
• spørsmål is a neuter noun, so the definite singular is spørsmålet

A very simplified pattern is:

• masculine: -en
• neuter: -et

So the endings are not random; they match the noun’s gender.

Svarer is the present tense form of the verb å svare.

• infinitive: å svare = to answer
• present: svarer = answers / is answering

Norwegian verbs do not change according to the subject the way English verbs often do. So you would say:

• jeg svarer = I answer / am answering
• du svarer = you answer
• han svarer = he answers

The form svarer stays the same for all persons in the present tense.

Because svare på is the normal expression for answer when you are answering a question, letter, email, etc.

So:

• å svare på et spørsmål = to answer a question
• å svare på en e-post = to reply to an email

This is different from English, where answer often takes a direct object with no preposition. In Norwegian, på is very common after svare in this kind of sentence.

Yes, sometimes, but svare på is the safest and most common choice when you mean answering something specific.

For example:

• Han svarer ikke. = He isn’t answering / He doesn’t reply.

Here there is no object, so på is not needed.

But when you include what is being answered, Norwegian usually uses på:

• Han svarer på spørsmålet.

So for learners, it is a good habit to remember svare på noe.

The sentence follows the normal Norwegian main-clause word order:

Subject + verb + prepositional phrase

• Kandidaten = subject
• svarer = verb
• på spørsmålet = prepositional phrase

So it works very much like standard English word order in a simple statement.

In a yes/no question, Norwegian usually puts the verb before the subject:

• Svarer kandidaten på spørsmålet?

That is the same verb-second pattern you often see in Norwegian. Compare:

• statement: Kandidaten svarer på spørsmålet.
• question: Svarer kandidaten på spørsmålet?

It would be:

En kandidat svarer på et spørsmål.

Here:

• en kandidat = a candidate
• et spørsmål = a question

Notice that the indefinite article is separate:

• en for many masculine/common nouns
• et for neuter nouns

But in the definite form, the article is attached to the noun:

• kandidaten
• spørsmålet

Yes. The noun is spørsmål, and the definite neuter ending -et is added to make spørsmålet.

So:

• spørsmål
  • -et = spørsmålet

This can look long, but it is completely normal in Norwegian. Many neuter nouns form the definite this way.

This word can feel difficult because it contains sounds that do not exist in English.

A rough guide is:

• spør sounds somewhat like spur but with the Norwegian ø
• smål has the å sound, somewhat like the vowel in British law
• -et at the end is usually light and unstressed

Very roughly, English speakers might imagine something like:

SPUR-smo-luh

But that is only approximate. The hardest vowels are:

• ø in spør-
• å in -smål-

Those are worth practicing separately.

It is a normal word, but it often appears in somewhat formal or specific contexts, such as:

• job candidates
• election candidates
• exam/oral-test candidates

In everyday conversation, it is fine, but it is more specific than a general word like person.

So Kandidaten svarer på spørsmålet sounds natural in contexts like an interview, an exam, or a debate.

Yes. Å besvare is another verb meaning to answer, and it usually takes a direct object without på:

• Kandidaten besvarer spørsmålet.

Compared with svare på, besvare can sound slightly more formal or written, though it is perfectly correct. In everyday speech, svare på spørsmålet is very common and natural.