Vi støtter kandidaten.

In Norwegian, verbs usually do not change depending on the subject.

So:

• jeg støtter = I support
• du støtter = you support
• vi støtter = we support
• de støtter = they support

That is much simpler than English, where you get forms like I support but he supports.

The infinitive is å støtte = to support, and støtter is the present tense form.

The ending -en makes the noun definite.

• en kandidat = a candidate
• kandidaten = the candidate

This is a very important feature of Norwegian: instead of usually putting a separate word like the in front, Norwegian often adds the definiteness to the end of the noun.

So in this sentence:

• Vi støtter kandidaten = We support the candidate

This is the normal Norwegian main-clause word order:

subject + verb + object

So:

• Vi = subject
• støtter = verb
• kandidaten = object

This is very similar to normal English word order:

• We support the candidate

Norwegian main clauses also follow the V2 rule, which means the finite verb is usually in the second position. In this sentence, the subject comes first, so the verb naturally comes second.

Yes, but the basic sentence you have is the most neutral one.

For example, you could say:

• Kandidaten støtter vi.

This is possible, but it sounds more marked or contrastive, like:

• The candidate, we support
• or It’s the candidate we support

Notice that the verb støtter still stays in second position. That is the V2 rule at work again.

So for a plain, normal statement, Vi støtter kandidaten is the best choice.

The base form is å støtte = to support.

Some common forms are:

• å støtte = to support
• støtter = support / am supporting / are supporting
• støttet = supported (past participle)
• støttet = supported (past tense, for this verb)

Examples:

• Vi støtter kandidaten. = We support the candidate.
• Vi støttet kandidaten. = We supported the candidate.
• Vi har støttet kandidaten. = We have supported the candidate.

Norwegian often uses the present tense where English might use either simple present or present progressive.

Not for nouns like kandidaten.

In this sentence, kandidaten is the object, but its form does not change because Norwegian nouns generally do not show case in the way English pronouns do.

So:

• Vi støtter kandidaten.
• Kandidaten støtter oss.

The noun kandidaten stays the same whether it is subject or object.
But pronouns do change:

• vi = we
• oss = us

So Norwegian has some case distinction in pronouns, but not usually in regular nouns.

You use the indefinite article en:

• Vi støtter en kandidat. = We support a candidate.

Compare:

• en kandidat = a candidate
• kandidaten = the candidate

This is a very common pattern with Norwegian masculine nouns:

• en bil = a car
• bilen = the car

Kandidat is usually treated as a masculine noun in Bokmål, so en kandidat / kandidaten is the standard pattern.

A simple learner-friendly approximation is:

• vi ≈ vee
• støtter ≈ something like STUR-ter, but with a rounded vowel that English does not really have
• kandidaten ≈ kan-di-DAH-ten

A few pronunciation notes:

• ø is a special Norwegian vowel. It does not sound like normal English o.
• tt usually makes the consonant short and clear.
• The r sound depends on dialect.

If you want a rough full approximation:

• Vi støtter kandidaten ≈ vee STUR-ter kan-di-DAH-ten

That is only approximate, but it is a useful starting point.

Both can relate to supporting, but they are not always the same.

• støtte often means support in a broad sense: politically, morally, practically, financially, officially
• heie på more often means cheer for or root for, especially in sports or competitions

So:

• Vi støtter kandidaten sounds natural for politics, elections, campaigns, or official backing.
• Vi heier på kandidaten would sound more like emotionally cheering the person on.

In many contexts, støtter is the better choice for serious or formal support.

Yes.

In Norwegian, vi is normally written with a lowercase v. It is capitalized here only because it is the first word of the sentence.

So:

• Vi støtter kandidaten.
• Kandidaten sier at vi støtter henne.

The second vi is lowercase because it is not at the beginning.

Yes.

The word kandidat can refer to either a male or a female candidate, depending on context.

So kandidaten simply means the candidate, without telling you the person’s sex by itself.

If you need to make it clear later, pronouns or surrounding context will show it:

• Vi støtter kandidaten. Hun har lang erfaring. = We support the candidate. She has a lot of experience.
• Vi støtter kandidaten. Han er godt kvalifisert. = We support the candidate. He is well qualified.

Yes. Vi støtter kandidaten is completely natural in both spoken and written Norwegian.

It is:

• grammatically standard
• easy to understand
• neutral in tone

Depending on context, a speaker might add more detail, such as:

• Vi støtter denne kandidaten. = We support this candidate.
• Vi støtter kandidaten fullt ut. = We fully support the candidate.

But the original sentence is already perfectly natural on its own.