Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Læreren sier at i et demokrati er det urettferdig hvis mindretallet ikke blir hørt av flertallet. - The teacher says that in a democracy it is unfair if the minority is not heard by the majority.

at introduces a content clause (what the teacher says), just like that in English:
- Læreren sier at … = The teacher says that …
In English you can often drop that (The teacher says (that) in a democracy…), but in Norwegian you usually must keep at:
- ✗ Læreren sier i et demokrati er det urettferdig … → incorrect; now i et demokrati looks like it belongs to sier (says in a democracy).

So Læreren sier at … is the normal, correct pattern with verbs like si, tro, mene, vite, etc.

Why is it et demokrati and not en demokrati?

Because demokrati is a neuter noun in Norwegian.

Masculine: en (e.g. en lærer)
Feminine (optional in Bokmål): ei (e.g. ei bok)
Neuter: et (e.g. et demokrati)

So you say:

et demokrati – a democracy
demokratiet – the democracy

Here we use the indefinite form et demokrati because we are talking generally: in a democracy (in any democracy), not about one specific, already known democracy.

Why is it Læreren with -en at the end? What’s the difference between lærer and læreren?

The ending -en makes the noun definite:

en lærer = a teacher
læreren = the teacher

In this sentence, Læreren implies a specific teacher that speaker and listener can identify (for example, our teacher, the teacher in this classroom).

If you wanted to make a more general statement about any teacher, you could say:

En lærer sier at … – A teacher says that … (one teacher, not specified)

But as written, Læreren sier … means The teacher says ….

What exactly are mindretallet and flertallet, and why do they end in -et?

Both are neuter nouns in the definite form:

et mindretall = a minority
- mindretallet = the minority
et flertall = a majority
- flertallet = the majority

Structure:

mindretall literally: mindre (smaller) + tall (number) → smaller number
flertall literally: flere (more) + tall (number) → larger number

The definite ending -et is used because we’re talking about the minority and the majority in that democracy, not just any random minority/majority.

So mindretallet and flertallet correspond to English the minority and the majority.

Why is the word order i et demokrati er det urettferdig and not i et demokrati det er urettferdig?

Norwegian tends to keep the verb in second position (the V2 rule) in main clauses, and this often carries over into this kind of clause.

In i et demokrati er det urettferdig:

i et demokrati – first element (an adverbial phrase)
er – verb in second position
det – subject
urettferdig – predicate adjective

So the pattern is:

[Adverbial] + [Verb] + [Subject] + [Rest]
I et demokrati er det urettferdig …

If you say i et demokrati det er urettferdig, the verb is not in second position anymore, and the sentence sounds wrong/unnatural.

Compare:

I dag er jeg syk. – Today I am sick.
(not I dag jeg er syk)

What does det mean in er det urettferdig? Does it refer to something specific?

Here det is a dummy (formal) subject, like it in English in sentences such as:

It is unfair if the minority is not heard.

It doesn’t refer to a specific noun; it refers to the whole situation described by the hvis-clause (if the minority is not heard by the majority).

The pattern det er + adjective is very common in Norwegian:

Det er viktig at … – It is important that …
Det er vanskelig å … – It is difficult to …

So det is grammatically required here; you cannot simply say i et demokrati er urettferdig.

Why is it hvis and not når in hvis mindretallet ikke blir hørt?

Because the clause expresses a condition, not a time.

hvis = if (conditional, maybe it happens, maybe not)
- hvis mindretallet ikke blir hørt …
  if the minority is not heard… (condition)
når = when (time), used for things that are seen as certain / repeated
- når mindretallet blir hørt, blir systemet sterkere.
  when the minority is heard, the system becomes stronger.

Here we are talking about something that may or may not happen, so hvis is the correct conjunction.

What is the structure blir hørt? Why not just høres?

blir hørt is a passive construction:

blir – present tense of bli (to become)
hørt – past participle of å høre (to hear)

Together, bli + past participle forms the “bli-passive”, which is very common in Norwegian:

Mindretallet blir hørt. – The minority is heard / gets heard.
Boken blir lest av mange. – The book is read by many.

You could also use the -s passive:

Mindretallet høres (av flertallet).

That is grammatically correct but often feels more formal or written. blir hørt is very natural and common in everyday language and emphasizes the process/result (gets heard).

Why is ikke placed before blir: hvis mindretallet ikke blir hørt, and not after the verb?

In a subordinate clause (like the one introduced by hvis), the standard word order is:

[Conjunction] + [Subject] + [Negation/Adverb] + [Verb] + [Rest]

So:

hvis – conjunction
mindretallet – subject
ikke – negation
blir – finite verb
hørt av flertallet – rest of the predicate

→ hvis mindretallet ikke blir hørt av flertallet

In a main clause, you usually get:

[Subject] + [Verb] + [ikke] + [Rest]
Mindretallet blir ikke hørt.

So:

Subordinate: hvis mindretallet ikke blir hørt …
Main clause: Mindretallet blir ikke hørt.

What is the role of av in hørt av flertallet? Can we leave it out?

av introduces the agent (the doer) in a passive sentence. It corresponds to English by:

hørt av flertallet = heard by the majority

You can leave out the whole agent phrase if it is clear or unimportant:

hvis mindretallet ikke blir hørt
= if the minority is not heard (by anyone in power / by the majority – understood from context)

But if you want to say explicitly who is not hearing the minority, you need av:

hørt av regjeringen – heard by the government
hørt av flertallet – heard by the majority

What’s the difference between sier, snakker, and forteller here? Could we say Læreren snakker at …?

They are all related to speaking, but used differently:

si – to say
- Takes an at-clause naturally:
  - Læreren sier at i et demokrati …
fortelle – to tell (relate, narrate)
- Can also take an at-clause:
  - Læreren forteller at i et demokrati … (more like tells us / explains that…)
snakke – to speak, talk
- Normally takes a preposition and a noun phrase, not a bare at-clause:
  - Læreren snakker om demokrati. – The teacher talks about democracy.
  - ✗ Læreren snakker at … – incorrect

So in this sentence, Læreren sier at … is the most straightforward and idiomatic choice.

How do you pronounce the special vowels in words like Læreren and hørt?

Very roughly, using English approximations:

æ (as in Læreren)
- Similar to the a in English cat, but often a bit longer and clearer.
- Lærer ≈ LAIR-er (but with a front a sound, not English ai).
ø (as in hørt)
- Similar to the vowel in British English bird or to French eu in peur.
- Lips are rounded, tongue is fairly high and front.
- hørt ≈ something like hurt (British), but with rounded lips and a retroflex rt at the end.

These are only approximations; listening to native audio for words like lærer, hørt, flertall will help you get the exact quality.