Breakdown of Journalisten stiller flere spørsmål, men treneren svarer sjelden detaljert.
men
but
flere
several
svare
to answer
treneren
the coach
journalisten
the journalist
stille
to ask
spørsmålet
the question
sjelden
rarely
detaljert
detailed
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Questions & Answers about Journalisten stiller flere spørsmål, men treneren svarer sjelden detaljert.
What does stiller mean in this sentence?
Stiller is the present‐tense form of å stille, which here means “to ask” questions. So journalisten stiller flere spørsmål = “the journalist asks several questions.”
Why is flere used instead of mange?
Flere literally means “more” or “several (more)”, often implying a comparison or continuation. Mange means “many” in a general sense. The sentence highlights that the journalist asks additional questions, hence flere.
Why are the words journalisten and treneren suffixed with -en?
In Norwegian, the definite article is attached to the end of the noun.
- journalist (a journalist) → journalisten (the journalist)
- trener (a coach) → treneren (the coach)
Why is there a comma before men?
Norwegian punctuation typically places a comma before coordinating conjunctions (og, men, eller, for) when they connect two independent clauses. Here, the comma separates “journalisten stiller flere spørsmål” and “men treneren svarer sjelden detaljert.”
How does sjelden function in svarer sjelden detaljert?
Sjelden is an adverb of frequency meaning “rarely”. It modifies the verb svarer. In Norwegian, frequency adverbs like sjelden usually come immediately after the finite verb.
Why is detaljert not preceded by a preposition (like “in”)?
In English we say “answer in detail”, but in Norwegian you can use the adjective detaljert directly as an adverbial manner without a preposition. Optionally you could say svarer sjelden i detalj, but svarer sjelden detaljert is more compact and equally correct.
Could the sentence be inverted to sjelden svarer treneren detaljert?
Yes. If you start with the adverb sjelden, you must invert subject and verb (V2 rule):
Sjelden svarer treneren detaljert.
This emphasizes how rarely the coach gives detailed answers.
What’s the difference between sjelden and aldri?
- Sjelden = rarely/seldom (some occurrences, but infrequent)
- Aldri = never (zero occurrences)
Here the coach does give answers occasionally, so sjelden is appropriate.