Legen leser e-posten.

The doctor reads the email.

Breakdown of Legen leser e-posten.

• lese: to read
• e-posten: the email
• legen: the doctor

Questions & Answers about Legen leser e-posten.

What does legen mean here, and why isn’t there an English-style article like the in front of it?

Legen is the definite singular form of lege (doctor), so it translates as the doctor. In Norwegian, the definite article is a suffix on the noun (-en, ‑a, ‑et), not a separate word before it as in English.

What is the form leser? How do I find it in the dictionary?

Leser is the present-tense (third-person singular) of the verb lese (to read). In a learner’s dictionary you look up the infinitive lese, which will list leser as “present tense: leser.”

What does e-post mean, and why is there a hyphen in e-posten?

E-post means email (literally “electronic post/mail”). The hyphen joins the single-letter prefix e- to post. The definite form is e-posten (the email). You might also see eposten without a hyphen, but the hyphenated form is still very common.

How would I say “The doctor is reading an email” if it’s indefinite (“an email”)?

You replace the definite e-posten with en e-post (an email). The sentence becomes:
Legen leser en e-post.

Why is the word order Legen leser e-posten (subject–verb–object)? Doesn’t Norwegian use a V2 rule?

Norwegian does use the V2 (verb-second) rule: the finite verb must be the second element in the clause. Here the subject Legen is in first position, so the verb leser comes second, followed by the object e-posten. That gives you S V O in a neutral declarative sentence.

Can leser ever be a noun meaning “reader”? How do I tell the difference?

Yes—leser can also be a noun (“reader”). You distinguish by context and form: the noun “reader” in definite form is leseren. In our sentence, leser comes between a subject and an object, so it functions as a verb.

How do you pronounce Legen leser e-posten?

Approximate pronunciation (IPA): /ˈleːgən ˈleːsər ˈeːˌpʊstən/
You can split it up as:

• Legen [LAY-gen]
• leser [LAY-ser]
• e-posten [EE-poo-sten]
  Stress falls on the first syllable of each word; vowels and consonants may shift slightly by dialect.