Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Møtet blir kortere enn i går. - The meeting will be shorter than yesterday.

Møtet blir kortere … = The meeting will be/ends up shorter …
Møtet er kortere … = The meeting is (known to be) shorter … (e.g., you’re looking at the schedule right now)

Does the present tense blir really mean future “will be”?

Yes. Norwegian often uses the present for near-certain or scheduled future events. You can also say:

skal bli = is going to be (plan/intention)
kommer til å bli = will (likely) be (prediction)
vil bli = will be (more formal or volitional nuance) All are possible; choose based on nuance.

What does the ending in Møtet tell me?

Møte is a neuter noun. In Bokmål:

Indefinite singular: et møte (“a meeting”)
Definite singular: møtet (“the meeting”) So the -et at the end marks definite singular neuter.

Why kortere and not just kort?

Kortere is the comparative of kort (“short”). Pattern: kort – kortere – kortest (short – shorter – shortest). You need the comparative because you’re making a comparison.

Shouldn’t kortere have a neuter -t because møtet is neuter?

No. Comparative adjectives (forms in -ere) don’t take gender/number endings in Norwegian. It’s always kortere (not “korteret”). Example: Huset er større (“The house is bigger”)—no -t in større.

Can I say mer kort instead of kortere?

No. Short, common adjectives like kort form the comparative with -ere: kortere. Use mer + adjective mainly with longer/Latinate adjectives: mer interessant, mer komfortabel.

Why is it enn and not som for “than”?

Use enn after comparative adjectives/adverbs: kortere enn, større enn. Use som with equality: like kort som, like stor som.

Is enn the same word as en/én?

No. enn (two n’s) = “than.” en = the masculine indefinite article “a/an.” én (with accent) = the number “one” when you need to distinguish it clearly.

Why do we say i går and not just går?

i går is a fixed two-word time expression meaning “yesterday.” You also have i dag (“today”) and i morgen (“tomorrow”). Don’t write them as single words in modern Bokmål, and don’t drop the i.

Can I say “than it was yesterday” more explicitly?

Yes:

Møtet blir kortere enn det var i går.
Or name both meetings: Møtet i dag blir kortere enn møtet i går. Avoid the English-like “yesterday’s” (i gårs is not idiomatic).

Is the word order important? Why is the verb second?

Yes. Norwegian main clauses follow V2 (verb-second) word order. The finite verb (blir) comes second:

Møtet blir kortere … If you front a time adverbial, the verb still stays second:
I dag blir møtet kortere enn i går.

How do I pronounce the tricky sounds?

ø (in møtet) is like French “eu” in “peu.”
å (in går) is like the vowel in English “law” (but shorter/tenser).
rt (in kortere) is often a single retroflex sound in many accents (tongue curled back).
r is usually tapped or trilled in Eastern/Northern accents; uvular in some Western/Southern accents.

If I’m talking about yesterday’s meeting already finished, should I change the tense?

Yes. Use the past:

Møtet i dag var kortere enn møtet i går. If you’re predicting today’s meeting, keep blir.

How can I say “a lot shorter” or “a little shorter”?

Use intensifiers with comparatives:

mye kortere / betydelig kortere = much/significantly shorter
litt kortere = a little shorter
enda kortere = even shorter

Is kortere also used for people’s height?

Normally use lav for height: Han er lavere enn meg (“He is shorter than me”). Kort is used for length/time/things (a short meeting, a short rope), not typically for a person’s height.

How would this look in Nynorsk?

Very similar:

Møtet blir kortare enn i går. The main difference here is kortare (Nynorsk) instead of kortere (Bokmål).