Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg venter på kommentaren fra sjefen. - I am waiting for the comment from the boss.

In Norwegian the verb vente (“to wait”) is intransitive and needs the preposition på to introduce the thing you’re waiting for. Together venter på literally means “wait on,” but functionally it’s “wait for” in English.

Why is kommentaren spelled with -en at the end?

Norwegian marks a definite singular noun by adding a suffix. kommentar is a common‐gender noun, so you attach -en to make it definite: kommentaren = “the comment.” If it were indefinite you’d say en kommentar (“a comment”).

Why does sjefen also end in -en?

Same principle: sjef is a common‐gender noun meaning “boss.” Adding -en makes it definite singular, so sjefen = “the boss.”

What role does fra play in fra sjefen?

fra means “from” and indicates the source or origin of something. Here it shows that the comment comes from sjefen (“the boss”).

Could I rephrase kommentaren fra sjefen in another way?

Yes. You can use the genitive -s on sjef instead of fra:
Jeg venter på sjefens kommentar.
That literally means “I’m waiting for the boss’s comment” and is just as correct.

Why is the verb venter in the second position?

Standard Norwegian word order in main clauses is Subject (S) – Verb (V) – other elements. Here Jeg (S) comes first, venter (V) second, then the prepositional object på kommentaren fra sjefen.

Is there a difference between using fra and av in this sentence?

fra stresses “from” as a source. av can sometimes mean “by” or mark authorship (e.g. a book written “av forfatteren”), but here fra sjefen is the natural choice for “from the boss.” Saying av sjefen would sound odd in everyday speech.

How do I pronounce sjefen?

sj is pronounced /ʃ/ (like English “sh”). So sjefen sounds roughly like SHEH-fen, with the stress on the first syllable.