Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Vi må melde fra til sjefen om forsinkelsen.

Plain melde is more general (“report, announce, register, sign up”) and is used in many other patterns, e.g. melde flytting (report a change of address), melde deg på (sign yourself up). In your sentence, you want the idiom melde fra.

Why is there no “å” before “melde”?

After modal verbs like må (must), kan (can), vil (want to), skal (shall), Norwegian uses the bare infinitive without å:

Vi må melde fra …
Compare: Without a modal you’d say Vi begynner å melde fra … (here you need å after “begynner”).

Can I say “for sjefen” instead of “til sjefen”?

No. For recipients (“to someone”), Norwegian uses til. For means “for/in front of” and doesn’t mark the recipient:

Correct: melde fra til sjefen
Wrong for this meaning: melde fra for sjefen

Why is it “sjefen” (the boss) and not just “sjef” (a boss)?

The definite form sjefen is used because a specific, known boss is meant (e.g., your boss at work). If you mean any boss, not a specific one, you’d use the indefinite:

til en sjef i HR (to a boss/manager in HR)

What does “om forsinkelsen” express? Could I use other words like “angående” or “på grunn av”?

Om means “about/regarding.” So om forsinkelsen = “about the delay.”

More formal/administrative: angående or vedrørende (regarding)
Different meaning: på grunn av forsinkelsen = “because of the delay” (gives a reason, not the topic)

Why is it “forsinkelsen” (the delay) and not “en forsinkelse” (a delay)?

It’s definite because you’re referring to a particular, identifiable delay (e.g., the one that has happened). If it’s non‑specific or hypothetical, use the indefinite:

melde fra om en forsinkelse (report a delay)

Is the word order fixed? Can I switch “til sjefen” and “om forsinkelsen”?

Both orders are fine and natural:

Vi må melde fra til sjefen om forsinkelsen.
Vi må melde fra om forsinkelsen til sjefen. You can even front one part for emphasis: Til sjefen må vi melde fra om forsinkelsen.

Could I use “si fra” or “gi beskjed” instead of “melde fra”? Are there other synonyms?

Yes, with nuance:

si fra (til) = say/speak up/let someone know (colloquial, very common)
gi beskjed (til) = give word/let someone know (neutral, common)
melde fra (til … om …) = notify/report (neutral, slightly administrative)
varsle (noen om noe) = alert/warn/notify (often implies urgency)
informere (noen om noe) = inform (formal/neutral)
rapportere (til … om …) = report (formal, often bureaucratic)

Why is it “melde fra til sjefen om …” and not “melde sjefen om …”?

With melde fra, the recipient is introduced by til: melde fra til sjefen (om noe). You don’t say melde sjefen om. If you want a direct object (the person), use other verbs:

informere/varsle/underrette sjefen om forsinkelsen

Can I omit the recipient?

Yes. If the recipient is obvious or unimportant, just state the topic:

Vi må melde fra om forsinkelsen.

How do I say this in other tenses and aspects?

Past necessity: Vi måtte melde fra til sjefen om forsinkelsen.
Present perfect (we have notified): Vi har meldt fra til sjefen om forsinkelsen.
Perfect of “må” (we have had to): Vi har måttet melde fra …

How do I negate this, and what’s the difference between “må ikke” and “trenger ikke (å)”?

Vi må ikke melde fra … = We must not/are not allowed to inform …
Vi trenger ikke (å) melde fra … = We don’t need to/don’t have to inform … Be careful: må ikke in Norwegian means prohibition, not “don’t have to.”

Is “melde ifra” also correct?

Yes. You’ll hear melde ifra in speech and see it in writing; it’s an accepted variant. The most standard written form is melde fra.

Can the particle “fra” move? For example, can I say “fra melde”?

No. Keep the particle after the verb:

Infinitive: å melde fra
Main clause: Vi meldte fra.
Imperative: Meld fra! You don’t say å fra melde or Vi fra meldte.

How do I pronounce key words here?

sjefen: initial sj is like English “sh” in “she.” Roughly “SHEH-fen.”
forsinkelsen: the rs in for- often becomes a retroflex “sh”-like sound in many dialects. Roughly “foh-SHIN-kehl-sen.”
må: long “aw” sound, roughly “maw.”

What are the genders and basic forms of “sjef” and “forsinkelse”?

sjef (boss): masculine. en sjef – sjefen – sjefer – sjefene
forsinkelse (delay): masculine (many -else nouns are). en forsinkelse – forsinkelsen – forsinkelser – forsinkelsene Some speakers use feminine with certain -else nouns, but masculine is the safe default in Bokmål.

How would this look in Nynorsk?

A common Nynorsk version is: Vi må melde frå til sjefen om forseinkinga.

fra → frå
forsinkelsen → forseinkinga (feminine definite) The rest is the same structure. You could also use sjefa (fem.) depending on gender choice in Nynorsk.

If I want to say “tell the boss that we are delayed,” how do I use an “that”-clause?

With a clause, prefer:

Vi må melde fra til sjefen om at vi er forsinket. Or use verbs that take a person directly:
Vi må informere/varsle sjefen om at vi er forsinket. Avoid: melde fra til sjefen at … (usually add om before at with “melde fra”).