Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Dommeren blåser i fløyten ved kampens slutt. - The referee blows the whistle at the end of the match.

In Norwegian, when you blow an instrument you normally use the preposition i. Literally you “blow in the whistle,” so you say blåse i fløyten rather than just blåse fløyten.

Why is fløyten in its definite form here?

The suffix -en marks the definite singular (“the whistle”). Since we’re talking about a specific whistle (the referee’s), we use fløyten instead of the indefinite fløyte.

What does ved mean in this sentence and could we use another preposition?

Ved means at when referring to a point in time. You could also say på slutten av kampen or når kampen slutter, but ved kampens slutt is a concise, slightly more formal way to say “at the end of the match.”

Why is it kampens slutt instead of slutten av kampen?

kampens uses the genitive -s to mean “game’s.” It’s an idiomatic way to say “the end of the game.” Slutten av kampen is equally correct and interchangeable.

Why is the verb blåser in present tense here, even though it describes a past event?

In sports commentary or reports, Norwegian often uses the present tense (the “narrative present”) to make events feel immediate. It can also apply to scheduled or habitual actions.

Can we change the word order, for example putting ved kampens slutt at the beginning?

Yes. Ved kampens slutt blåser dommeren i fløyten is perfectly grammatical. Moving the time expression to the front adds emphasis on when the action occurs.

Is dommeren always capitalized like that?

It’s capitalized here only because it’s the first word of the sentence. Otherwise you write dommeren (the referee) with a lowercase d, unless it begins a sentence or is part of a title.