Learn Hardcore Norwegian: De sender meldinger til hverandre når bussen er sen. - They send messages to each other when the bus is late.

De is the subject pronoun (they). Dem is the object form (them), so it cannot be used as the subject of the sentence. Note: De with a capital D can also be the archaic/formal “you,” but here it clearly means “they.” It’s capitalized anyway because it begins the sentence.

Why does sender end with -r?

That’s the regular present tense ending in Norwegian Bokmål. The infinitive is å sende, present is sender, preterite is sendte, and past participle is sendt.

Why is meldinger plural? Could I use singular melding?

Plural (meldinger) suggests they generally send more than one message or do so repeatedly. Singular (melding) would mean one message each time. Both are grammatically fine; choose based on meaning. The plural ending here is the regular -er: melding → meldinger.

Do I need til before hverandre, or can I say De sender hverandre meldinger?

Both are idiomatic:

De sender meldinger til hverandre.
De sender hverandre meldinger. With verbs like sende, Norwegian allows either “send something to someone” or “send someone something.” If you drop til, put hverandre right after the verb: not “De sender meldinger hverandre,” but De sender hverandre meldinger.

How does hverandre work grammatically? Does it change form?

Hverandre is invariable (no gender, number, or case changes). For possession, use hverandres (each other’s), e.g., de leser hverandres meldinger.

What’s the difference between hverandre and seg (selv)?

Hverandre means “each other/one another” (reciprocal action: A ↔ B). Seg (selv) is reflexive (“themselves,” action back to the same subject: A → A). So you can’t say De sender seg meldinger here; it must be hverandre.

Why til and not med or for?

Til marks the recipient (“to”). Med would mean “with each other” (e.g., snakker med hverandre = talk with each other). For means “for/for the benefit of,” which is a different meaning.

Why is the order når bussen er sen (subject before verb) rather than verb-second?

In Norwegian subordinate clauses (introduced by words like når, at, fordi), you don’t have V2. The normal order is Subject–Verb–…: bussen er sen. V2 applies to main clauses.

Can I put the when-clause first?

Yes: Når bussen er sen, sender de meldinger til hverandre. When a subordinate clause is fronted, the following main clause still obeys V2, so the finite verb (sender) comes before the subject (de).

Do I need a comma before/after the når-clause?

No comma is needed before når when the clause comes last: … til hverandre når bussen er sen. If you front it, put a comma after the clause: Når bussen er sen, …

Why bussen (definite) and not en buss?

Norwegian typically uses the definite form when a specific, known item is meant—the bus they’re waiting for. Buss (indefinite) + the definite suffix -en → bussen.

Is sen the only option? What about sein or forsinket?

All are possible:

sen is the standard Bokmål form.
sein is an accepted Bokmål variant (common in speech and in Nynorsk).
forsinket means “delayed” and often sounds a bit more formal or announcement-like: Bussen er forsinket.

Where does the negation ikke go?

In the main clause, place it after the finite verb: De sender ikke meldinger til hverandre … In the subordinate clause, it follows the subject: … når bussen ikke er sen.

Can hverandre be used for more than two people?

Yes. Hverandre requires at least two participants and works fine for groups (de, vi, dere) as well as two named people.

Can I use om instead of når here?

No. Når means “when/whenever” (time). Om would mean “if/whether” and would change the meaning: om bussen er sen = “if the bus is late.”

Any quick pronunciation tips for key words?

hverandre: the h in hv is silent in most accents; it sounds like “ver-…”
meldinger: the d is pronounced here (as in melde), and -inger sounds like “-ing-er.”
bussen: u is like “oo” in “book,” doubled consonant shortens the preceding vowel.
sen: long “e” sound (roughly like the vowel in English “say,” but shorter/tenser).