Broren min spiser dessverre kjeksene før middagen.

Unfortunately my brother eats the cookies before dinner.

Breakdown of Broren min spiser dessverre kjeksene før middagen.

• spise: to eat
• før: before
• min: my
• middagen: the dinner
• kjeksen: the cookie
• broren: the brother
• dessverre: unfortunately

Questions & Answers about Broren min spiser dessverre kjeksene før middagen.

Why does the sentence use Broren min instead of Min bror?

Both Broren min and Min bror are grammatically correct.

• Broren min (literally “the brother of mine”) is used when you assume the listener knows which brother you mean, or you’re pointing out that specific person.
• Min bror (literally “my brother”) is more neutral and introduces the fact that you have a brother.
  In everyday conversation, Norwegians often say Broren min when talking about a brother they’ve already mentioned or both speaker and listener know about.

What does dessverre mean, and why is it placed there?

Dessverre means unfortunately. It’s an adverb of attitude, expressing the speaker’s regret about what follows.
Placement rule in a main clause (V2 language):

1. Subject (Broren min)
2. Finite verb (spiser)
3. Adverb of attitude/time/manner (dessverre)
4. Object/complement (kjeksene før middagen)
   That’s why dessverre comes right after the verb.

Why is it kjeksene instead of just kjeks?

• kjeks = “cookies” (indefinite)
• kjeksene = “the cookies” (definite plural)
  Norwegian marks definiteness with a suffix:
  • Singular definite: -en (f.eks. kjeks → kjeksen)
  • Plural definite: -ene (f.eks. kjeks → kjeksene)
  Here you’re referring to specific cookies, so you need the definite plural kjeksene.

What tense and aspect is spiser, and could you use another tense?

Spiser is the present tense of å spise (“to eat”). It describes an action happening now or as a habitual action.
If you want to say he already ate them, you’d use the perfect:
• Broren min har dessverre spist kjeksene før middagen.
If you want to express future intention (less common here), you’d add a modal or auxiliary:
• Broren min kommer (til å) spise kjeksene før middagen.

Why is it før middagen and not før middag?

Both are possible, but they carry slightly different nuances:
• før middag (indefinite) = “before (a) dinner” in general
• før middagen (definite) = “before the dinner” you’ve planned or talked about
In context, if there’s a specific dinner event (today’s dinner, a family dinner), you’d normally use the definite form middagen.

Why is there no separate article like the dinner?

Norwegian doesn’t use a separate article before a definite noun; it adds a suffix instead.
Examples:
• en middag = “a dinner” → middagen = “the dinner”
• et hus = “a house” → huset = “the house”
In før middagen, the -en ending is the definite article.

Can dessverre appear in other positions?

Yes, for emphasis you can start the sentence with dessverre:
• Dessverre spiser broren min kjeksene før middagen.
Here dessverre is first (position 1), pushing the subject into position 3 after the verb to obey the V2 rule.

Are there any pronunciation tips for kjeksene?

• kj is pronounced like the English “sh” but a bit sharper: [ç] or [ʃ] depending on dialect.
• -ene ending is unstressed, sounds like [ənə] or [ɛ́nə].
Altogether you get something like [ˈçek.sə.nə] or [ˈʃeksə.nə].