Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg mener at en alvorlig film er lettere å huske enn en kjedelig komedie. - I think that a serious film is easier to remember than a boring comedy.

mene can mean both “to mean” and “to think” in Norwegian. When you say Jeg mener at …, you’re expressing an opinion, so it translates as I think that … or I believe that … rather than “I mean that ….”

Why is at used after mener?

In Norwegian, verbs of thinking or saying (like mene, tro, si) require at to introduce a subordinate clause—much like English that. In formal writing, you include at every time. In casual speech Norwegians sometimes drop it, but keeping it is always correct.

What is lettere, and how is it formed?

lettere is the comparative form of the adjective lett (“easy”). Most Norwegian adjectives form the comparative by adding -ere, so lett → lettere (“easy → easier”).

Why do we use enn after lettere, and can we use som instead?

In comparative constructions you always use enn (“than”) to compare two things. You cannot use som here. So lettere enn literally means easier than.

Why does å huske follow lettere?

When you compare how easy or difficult something is to do, you use lettere å + infinitive. The å is the infinitive marker (like English to). Hence lettere å huske = easier to remember.

Why don’t the adjectives alvorlig and kjedelig take any extra endings?

Both adjectives modify indefinite, common‐gender singular nouns (en film, en komedie). In that position, Norwegian adjectives remain in their basic form (no extra -t or -e).

Why is film preceded by en, and what gender is it?

film is a common‐gender noun in Norwegian, so its indefinite singular article is en. Thus en film = a film/movie.

Why is komedie preceded by en, and what gender is it?

Even though komedie ends in -ie, it is also a common‐gender noun, so you say en komedie = a comedy.

How would you express the serious movie and the boring comedy in the definite form?

In Norwegian definite form for common‐gender you use den + adjective–e + noun–en:

the serious movie → den alvorlige filmen
the boring comedy → den kjedelige komedien

Why does the verb still come right after the subject in the clause after at, instead of moving to second position?

In subordinate clauses introduced by at, Norwegian uses S–V–O (subject–verb–object). The verb‐second (V2) rule applies only to main clauses, not to clauses that begin with a conjunction like at.