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Legen leser e-posten.

Legen leser e-posten.
The doctor reads the email.
FromLesson 14inHardcore Norwegian
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Breakdown of Legen leser e-posten.

lese
to read
e-posten
the email
legen
the doctor
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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.