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Sjefen sier at han egentlig ikke mener den er så vanskelig.

Sjefen sier at han egentlig ikke mener den er så vanskelig.
The boss says that he actually does not think it is that hard.
FromLesson 18inHardcore Norwegian
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Breakdown of Sjefen sier at han egentlig ikke mener den er så vanskelig.

være
to be
han
he
den
it
at
that
ikke
not
så
so
vanskelig
difficult
si
to say
sjefen
the boss
egentlig
actually
mene
to think
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Questions & Answers about Sjefen sier at han egentlig ikke mener den er så vanskelig.

What does sjefen mean?
sjefen is the definite form of sjef, meaning the boss. In Norwegian, you add -en to a common-gender noun to make it definite.
Why do we have both sjefen and han as subjects?
Each clause in Norwegian needs its own subject. sjefen is the subject of the main clause (Sjefen sier), while han is the subject of the subordinate clause introduced by at (at han … mener …), even though they refer to the same person.
Why is mener placed toward the end in at han egentlig ikke mener den er så vanskelig?

The conjunction at introduces a subordinate clause, which follows a different word order than main clauses. The pattern here is:

  1. at (subordinator)
  2. han (subject)
  3. egentlig (adverb)
  4. ikke (negation)
  5. mener (finite verb)
  6. den er så vanskelig (object clause)
    Because den er så vanskelig acts as the object of mener, it comes after the verb.
What does egentlig mean in this context?
egentlig translates to actually or in fact, signaling that the boss’s real opinion might differ from what was assumed or stated earlier.
How do I translate mener here?
In this sentence, mener means “thinks” or “believes” when expressing an opinion. So han mener = he thinks.
How is the negation ikke positioned here?
In Norwegian subordinate clauses, ikke (meaning not) typically comes right after any adverbs and before the verb. Hence the sequence: han (subject) + egentlig (adverb) + ikke (negation) + mener (verb).
Why is den used, and what does it refer to?
den is the third-person singular pronoun for common-gender nouns, meaning it. It refers back to a previously mentioned common-gender noun (e.g., oppgaven). For neuter nouns you would use det instead.
What does så do in så vanskelig?
så is an intensifier meaning “so”, so så vanskelig literally means “so difficult.”