Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Nå møtes slekten sjelden, men jeg har håp om at vi sees oftere. - Now the extended family rarely meets, but I have hope that we will see each other more often.

møter = meets (someone/something):
- Jeg møter vennen min. – I meet my friend.
møtes = meet (each other):
- Vi møtes hver søndag. – We meet each other every Sunday.

Because slekten is a group of people, møtes nicely expresses that the family members are meeting one another, not just “meeting” in some vague way.

Why is it Nå møtes slekten and not Nå slekten møtes?

Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule (verb-second word order): the finite verb must be the second element in the sentence.

Nå (now) is placed first for emphasis on time.
The verb møtes must then come second.
The subject slekten comes after the verb.

So the correct order is:

Nå møtes slekten sjelden.

Nå slekten møtes sjelden breaks the V2 rule and sounds wrong to native speakers (unless you’re using a very marked, poetic word order).

What is the difference between slekten and familien?

Both can translate as “the family”, but they’re not identical:

slekten = the extended family / relatives / kin (often including cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.).
familien = usually the nuclear family (parents and children), though in some contexts it can be broader.

So:

Nå møtes slekten sjelden suggests “These days, the extended family rarely gets together.”
Nå møtes familien sjelden would more likely mean “The (nuclear) family doesn’t get together often anymore.”

The sentence you gave hints at a larger clan rather than just parents and kids.

Why is it sjelden and not sjeldent?

Sjelden is both an adjective and an adverb in modern standard Norwegian, so it is the normal form in this sentence:

Han er en sjelden gjest. – He is a rare guest. (adjective)
Vi møtes sjelden. – We rarely meet. (adverb)

You may see sjeldent (especially in older texts or dialects), but in contemporary Bokmål:

sjelden is the standard and most natural form, also in adverbial use.

So Nå møtes slekten sjelden is the form you should aim for.

Why do we say jeg har håp om at instead of just jeg håper at?

Both are correct, but they are slightly different constructions:

Jeg håper at vi sees oftere.
- Literally: I hope that we see each other more often.
- Uses the verb å håpe (to hope).
Jeg har håp om at vi sees oftere.
- Literally: I have hope that we see each other more often.
- Uses the noun håp (hope) with ha
  - håp om at.

The version with jeg håper at is more common and a bit more direct and natural in everyday speech.
Jeg har håp om at… can sound slightly more formal, thoughtful, or stylistic, but it’s completely correct.

What does om do in jeg har håp om at vi sees oftere? Could we drop it?

In this expression, om is part of a fixed pattern: ha håp om (at …).

Jeg har håp om at vi sees oftere.

Here, om links the noun håp to the following clause introduced by at.
You cannot normally drop om here:

❌ Jeg har håp at vi sees oftere. (unnatural / incorrect)
✅ Jeg har håp om at vi sees oftere.

So after ha håp, keep om: ha håp om (noe / at …).

Why is it vi sees and not just vi ser or vi ser hverandre?

Sees is another -s form verb, and it is very common in colloquial Norwegian with a reciprocal meaning: see each other.

vi ser = we see (something / someone)
vi ser hverandre = we see each other
vi sees = we see each other

All of these are grammatically fine, but the nuance:

Jeg håper at vi sees oftere. – Very natural, idiomatic, and compact.
Jeg håper at vi ser hverandre oftere. – Also correct, a bit more explicit.

Vi sees is extremely common in everyday speech and writing, especially in phrases like Vi sees! (See you!).

Is sees present tense or future tense here? Norwegian doesn’t use a future auxiliary?

Sees is present tense in form, but Norwegian often uses the present tense with a future meaning, especially when the future is clear from context or from another verb like håper (hope).

Jeg håper at vi sees oftere.
- Literally: I hope that we see each other more often.
- Naturally translated: I hope (that) we’ll see each other more often.

Norwegian can form a future with skal or vil, but it’s not necessary here:

Jeg håper at vi skal sees oftere. – also possible, but less natural/needed.

The combination håper + present tense already points to the future in meaning.

What is oftere, and why not mer ofte?

Oftere is the comparative form of the adverb/adjective ofte (often):

ofte – often
oftere – more often
oftest – most often

So:

Vi sees ofte. – We see each other often.
Jeg håper at vi sees oftere. – I hope we see each other more often.

Using mer ofte (more often) is understandable but sounds less natural; oftere is the normal comparative form you should use.

Could I say Jeg håper vi sees oftere without at?

Yes. After verbs like håper, Norwegians often omit the conjunction at in everyday speech and informal writing:

Jeg håper (at) vi sees oftere.

Both are correct. Including at is slightly more formal or explicit; omitting it sounds more casual and very natural.

In your original sentence with har håp om, however, you normally keep at:

✅ Jeg har håp om at vi sees oftere.
❌ Jeg har håp om vi sees oftere. (sounds wrong)

So:

With jeg håper → at is optional.
With jeg har håp om → at is needed.