Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Hun lager to brødskiver med ost til sønnen. - She makes two slices of bread with cheese for her son.

lage = to make/prepare/create (very general; works for food, plans, objects, etc.).
gjøre = to do (more general activity; not used for preparing food).
Food-specific verbs:
- smøre = to spread/make sandwiches (esp. open-faced slices).
- koke = to boil/cook in water.
- steke = to fry/roast/bake (in a pan or oven, without water).
- bake = to bake (bread, cakes).

In this sentence, lager is the natural, broad choice for preparing sandwiches.

Why is there no article after the number in to brødskiver?

In Norwegian, numbers are followed by the bare plural indefinite form. So you say to brødskiver (two slices), not something like “two the slices.” If you want definite plural with a number, you add a determiner: de to brødskivene (the two slices).

Why is brødskiver written as one word? Could I say skiver brød instead?

Norwegian writes compounds as one word. brødskive literally means “bread-slice” and is a common lexical item. You can also say to skiver brød, which is idiomatic and emphasizes quantity (two slices of bread). Both are fine; brødskiver often sounds a bit more like “sandwich slices” as a unit.

Does brødskive mean an open-faced sandwich?

Yes. A brødskive is typically one slice of bread with a topping (open-faced). A closed sandwich (two slices with filling between) is more often called sandwich, or you’d specify it differently.

What are the gender and forms of brødskive?

In Bokmål, brødskive can be masculine or feminine:

Indefinite singular: en/ei brødskive
Definite singular: brødskiven (m) / brødskiva (f)
Indefinite plural: brødskiver
Definite plural: brødskivene

Why med ost and not med osten?

ost is a mass noun here (“cheese” in general), so the indefinite mass form ost is natural. med osten (“with the cheese”) would sound like a specific, previously mentioned cheese and is unusual in this context. You could specify a type: med brunost, med gulost, med skinke og ost, etc.

Could I use på instead of med, as in “cheese on the slice”?

Yes, depending on focus:

Composition/filling: brødskiver med ost (slices with cheese).
Physical placement: ost på brødskivene (cheese on the slices).
Both are correct; med is standard when naming toppings.

What does til mean here? Can I use for instead?

til marks the recipient: til sønnen = “to/for the son” (the one receiving the food). for is about benefit, purpose, or substitution and is not the idiomatic choice for recipients. for sønnen might mean “for the benefit of the son,” but in this context it sounds off.

Why is it sønnen (definite) and not en sønn (indefinite)?

sønnen = “the son,” implying a specific, known son (in context, likely her son). en sønn would mean “a son” (some son, not identified), which doesn’t fit when you have a particular person in mind.

How do I express that it is specifically her own son? Should I use sin or hennes?

til sønnen sin or til sin sønn = to her own son (reflexive, refers back to the subject).
til sønnen hennes = to her son (could imply another woman’s son, or contrast with someone else; not reflexive).
Both til sin sønn (preposed) and til sønnen sin (postposed) are acceptable in Bokmål; the postposed form is very common in everyday language.

Is the word order important? Could I say Hun lager to brødskiver til sønnen med ost?

Keep med ost close to brødskiver to show it modifies the slices. Hun lager to brødskiver med ost til sønnen is clear. …til sønnen med ost can sound awkward or momentarily ambiguous, as if med ost could modify sønnen.

Does to ever mean “to” (direction), and how do I tell it apart from to meaning “two”?

to (pronounced roughly “too”) = the number “two.”
til = the preposition “to, for.”
They’re different words, so there’s no ambiguity in writing. In speech, they also sound different.

How do you pronounce brødskiver and sønnen?

brødskiver: the ø is a rounded mid-front vowel (like French bleu); sk before i is the “sh” sound. Approx: [ˈbrøːdˌʃiːvər].
sønnen: short ø; double nn is clearly pronounced. Approx: [ˈsœnːən].
lager: long a; g is a hard g. Approx: [ˈlɑːɡər].

Could I use smører instead of lager?

Yes. Hun smører to brødskiver med ost til sønnen is very natural when you mean she’s preparing bread slices with spread/toppings. lage is broader; smøre specifically evokes making sandwiches/packed lunch.

What are the plural forms for sønn?

Indefinite singular: en sønn
Definite singular: sønnen
Indefinite plural: sønner
Definite plural: sønnene

Note the double nn is kept in all forms.

Is smørbrød the same as brødskive?

Related but not identical. smørbrød is an open-faced sandwich (often more formal or topped generously; think Danish-style). brødskive is any slice of bread, typically with everyday toppings. You can make brødskiver that are also smørbrød, but the words carry slightly different vibes.

Can I drop med and say to brødskiver ost?

No. You need the preposition: to brødskiver med ost. Without med, it’s ungrammatical.

Is hun ever ho?

In many dialects you’ll hear ho for “she,” but in standard Bokmål writing it’s hun.