Jeg mottar invitasjonen via e-post.

I receive the invitation via email.

Breakdown of Jeg mottar invitasjonen via e-post.

• jeg: I
• e-posten: the email
• motta: to receive
• invitasjonen: the invitation
• via: via

Questions & Answers about Jeg mottar invitasjonen via e-post.

What does mottar mean, and is there a more informal way to say “receive”?

mottar is the present tense of å motta (to receive). It’s somewhat formal or neutral. In everyday speech, Norwegians often use å få (to get) instead. For example: Jeg får invitasjonen via e-post.

Why is invitasjonen in the definite form with -en rather than just invitasjon or en invitasjon?

Norwegian marks definiteness by adding a suffix.
• invitasjon = an invitation (indefinite)
• invitasjonen = the invitation (definite)
You use invitasjonen because you’re referring to one specific invitation that’s already known or mentioned.

Could you say Jeg mottar invitasjonen på e-post or per e-post? What’s the difference?

Yes—all three are correct, but register varies:
• via e-post – a bit more formal, common in writing
• på e-post – very common in both speech and writing
• per e-post – formal, slightly old-fashioned
You’ll also hear med e-post in everyday conversation. They all mean by email.

Why isn’t there an article before e-post? When would you say en e-post or e-posten?

Here e-post functions like a mass noun: by email/through email, so no article is needed. If you mean a specific email message, you say:
• en e-post (an email)
• e-posten (the email)

Why is the verb in the present tense (mottar) rather than the perfect (har mottatt)?

Present tense mottar can describe a general or habitual action:
I receive the invitation by email rather than on paper.
If you want to emphasize that you have already received it, use present perfect:
Jeg har mottatt invitasjonen via e-post (I have received the invitation by email).

Is there a special word‐order rule here? Could you say Via e-post mottar jeg invitasjonen?

Yes. Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position. If via e-post comes first, the verb still stays second:
Via e-post mottar jeg invitasjonen.
This sounds slightly more formal or emphatic than Jeg mottar invitasjonen via e-post, but both are correct.

How do you pronounce mottar, invitasjonen, and e-post?

• mottar [ˈmɔtːɑɾ] – double t is long, r lightly rolled
• invitasjonen [invitɑˈsjuːneːn] – stress on the third syllable, sj like English sh
• e-post [ˈeːpʊst] or [ˈeːpɔst] – long e [eː], o as in “lot”