Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Hun stopper på trappetrinnet ved døren og sier at hun føler seg håpløst slapp. - She stops on the step by the door and says that she feels hopelessly weak.

Norwegian often uses the present tense to tell a story, especially in written narratives, just like English sometimes does (So she goes to the door and says…).

Hun stopper … og sier … can describe something happening right now, or it can be a “narrative present,” talking about past events in a more vivid way.
If you clearly wanted past tense, you would say: Hun stoppet på trappetrinnet ved døren og sa at …

Why is the preposition på used in på trappetrinnet, and not i or ved?

På is used because she is standing on a surface:

på trappetrinnet = on the stair step / on the step
i is “in/inside” something: i huset (in the house), i gangen (in the hallway).
ved is “by/next to/near”: ved døren (by the door).

So the idea is: she is standing on the step that is by the door. Hence på trappetrinnet ved døren.

What exactly does trappetrinnet mean, and how is it formed?

Trappetrinnet is a compound noun plus a definite ending:

trapp = stair, staircase
trinn = step (one level of a staircase)
trappetrinn = stair step (a single step in a staircase)
trappetrinnet = the stair step (definite singular)

Norwegian often adds the definite ending directly to the noun instead of using a separate word like the.
Here, trinn is a neuter noun, so the definite ending is -et: trinnet → trappetrinnet.

Why is it ved døren and not just ved døra or ved døren vs foran døren?

Several points here:

ved means by / near / next to.
- ved døren = by the door
- foran døren = in front of the door (more specific position)
døren vs døra are both standard Bokmål:
- dør = door (indefinite)
- døren = the door (more traditional/“bookish” Bokmål)
- døra = the door (more colloquial Bokmål, closer to many dialects)

So ved døren is “by the door” in a relatively neutral or slightly formal Bokmål style.

Why is the structure og sier at hun føler seg … and not just og sier hun føler seg …?

In Norwegian, when you report speech or thoughts with that, you normally use the conjunction at:

Hun sier at hun føler seg håpløst slapp.
= She says (that) she feels hopelessly weak.

Leaving out at (like in English “She says she feels…”) is much less common and often sounds wrong or incomplete in Norwegian. In standard written Norwegian you almost always keep at in this kind of sentence.

Why is hun repeated in … og sier at hun føler seg …? Could you leave it out?

You cannot normally drop the subject pronoun in Norwegian:

Hun stopper … og sier at hun føler seg … ✅
Hun stopper … og sier at føler seg … ❌ (wrong)

Each clause needs its own subject unless it’s truly shared in a very simple coordination like:

Hun stopper og sier noe. (same subject, no at-clause)

But once you introduce at, you start a new subordinate clause, and that clause must have a subject: hun.

Why do we say føler seg instead of just føler?

Føler seg is a reflexive construction meaning “feel (in oneself), feel (a certain way)”:

Hun føler seg slapp. = She feels weak / feels low on energy.
Jeg føler meg bra. = I feel good.
De føler seg sikre. = They feel confident.

Without the reflexive pronoun, føler is usually transitive and means “to feel something (with your senses or emotions)”:

Hun føler smerte. = She feels pain.
Jeg føler ingenting. = I feel nothing.

So when talking about your own state (“I feel tired, sick, good, bad”), you normally use føler meg/deg/seg/oss/dere + adjective.

What exactly does seg refer to in hun føler seg?

Seg is the third-person reflexive pronoun. It refers back to the subject of the same clause:

hun føler seg = she feels herself (i.e. she feels a certain way)
han føler seg = he feels
de føler seg = they feel

Other persons use different forms:

jeg føler meg
du føler deg
vi føler oss
dere føler dere

But seg is used for han/hun/hen/det/den/de when the subject and object are the same person/thing.

What does håpløst slapp mean, and is håpløst always “hopelessly”?

Literally:

håpløs = hopeless
håpløst = hopelessly

In practice, håpløst is often used as an informal intensifier:

håpløst slapp ≈ extremely / ridiculously / terribly weak/listless
håpløst vanskelig ≈ insanely difficult

So hun føler seg håpløst slapp is not about “no hope”; it’s more like “she feels completely drained / totally lacking in energy.”

Why is it håpløst and not håpløs before slapp?

Here håpløst is functioning as an adverb, describing how weak she feels, not as an adjective describing a noun:

En håpløs situasjon (adjective; “a hopeless situation”)
Hun føler seg håpløst slapp (adverb; “hopelessly / extremely weak”)

Many Norwegian adjectives form adverbs by adding -t:

rask → raskt (fast, quickly)
klar → klart (clearly)
håpløs → håpløst (hopelessly)

So håpløst modifies slapp as an adverbial intensifier.

What does slapp mean exactly, and how is it different from trøtt or lat?

Slapp describes low energy, weakness, or limpness:

physically weak, “floppy”
drained, listless, lacking energy (often from illness or exhaustion)

Compared with similar words:

trøtt = tired, sleepy (you need rest/sleep)
lat = lazy (you don’t want to do anything, attitude)
sliten = worn out, exhausted (after effort)
slapp = weak, listless, “floppy,” low-energy (often feels a bit like being sick or run-down)

So håpløst slapp suggests she feels very drained and weak, not just a bit sleepy.

Is the word order på trappetrinnet ved døren fixed? Could you say ved døren på trappetrinnet?

På trappetrinnet ved døren is the natural order because it goes from the main location to a more precise specification:

på trappetrinnet = on the step
ved døren = (the step that is) by the door

If you say ved døren på trappetrinnet, it sounds odd, as if “by the door” is the main phrase and “on the step” is tacked on unnaturally. Native speakers almost always say på trappetrinnet ved døren in this context.

Could you use stanser instead of stopper? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say:

Hun stanser på trappetrinnet ved døren …

Stanse and stoppe are very close in meaning: “to stop.” In everyday modern Norwegian, stoppe is more common and neutral; stanse can sound a bit more formal, literary, or old-fashioned in some contexts, but it’s fully correct.