Learn Hardcore Norwegian: I den samme meldingstråden diskuterer vi hvilken serie vi skal se, men ingen vet helt hva den handler om. - In the same message thread we discuss which series we shall watch, but nobody really knows what it is about.

I den samme meldingstråden = in the same message thread (a specific, known thread; the one we both already know about)
- den = the (masc./fem. demonstrative/article)
- samme = same
- meldingstråden = the message thread (definite form: meldingstråd + en)
I samme meldingstråd = in the same message thread (more general, less “pointing” to a particular, already-specified thread; sounds a bit more generic)

Grammatically:

With an adjective before a definite noun, Norwegian normally uses double definiteness:
- den store bilen (the big car)
- den samme meldingstråden (the same message thread)
  So den and the -en ending on meldingstråden are both required here when it is definite.

What exactly does “meldingstråden” mean, and why is it one word?

Meldingstråden is a compound noun:

melding = message
tråd = thread
meldingstråd = message thread (like in a chat or forum)
meldingstråden = the message thread (definite form)

Norwegian regularly glues nouns together into one compound word. So where English writes “message thread”, Norwegian writes “meldingstråd”.

Because tråd is masculine (en tråd), the definite form is tråden, so the whole word becomes meldingstråden.

Why is the word order “diskuterer vi” (verb before subject) instead of “vi diskuterer”?

This is the verb-second (V2) rule in Norwegian main clauses.

In main clauses, the finite verb must come in second position, no matter what is first.
The sentence starts with an adverbial phrase: I den samme meldingstråden (In the same message thread).
That takes the first position.
Therefore, the finite verb diskuterer must come next, and the subject vi comes after it:

I den samme meldingstråden (1) diskuterer (2) vi (3) ...

If you start with the subject instead, you can say:

Vi diskuterer hvilken serie vi skal se.

Both are correct; the difference is just which element you put first. The verb still stays in second position.

What is the structure and meaning of “hvilken serie vi skal se”?

“Hvilken serie vi skal se” is an embedded question (indirect question) meaning “which series we are going to watch”.

As a direct question:
- Hvilken serie skal vi se? = Which series shall/are we going to watch?
As an embedded question (inside a larger sentence):
- Vi diskuterer hvilken serie vi skal se. = We are discussing which series we are going to watch.

Key points:

hvilken = which (singular, common gender: en/ei)
- hvilken serie (serie is common gender: en serie)
- Other forms: hvilket (neuter), hvilke (plural)
In embedded questions, Norwegian does not use V2 word order; the verb comes after the subject, just like in English:
- Direct: Hvilken serie skal vi se? (V2: verb second)
- Embedded: ... hvilken serie vi skal se (subject vi before verb skal)

Why is “skal” used here (“hvilken serie vi skal se”) and not “vil”?

In Norwegian, skal often expresses:

planned or agreed future actions
intentions or decisions

So “hvilken serie vi skal se” is like “which series we’re going to watch” or “which series we shall watch.”

Vil is closer to “want to / would like to / will (volition)”, and in this context vil would sound more like focusing on desire:

Hvilken serie vi vil se ≈ which series we want to watch

Here, the idea is about deciding on the plan (what we are going to watch), so skal is the natural verb.

What does “ingen vet helt” mean, and what is the function of “helt” here?

Ingen vet helt literally is “no one knows completely/entirely”, and more naturally “no one really knows” or “no one quite knows.”

ingen = no one / nobody
vet = knows
helt = completely / entirely / fully, often used to soften the statement and mean “really / quite / exactly”

Nuance:

ingen vet hva den handler om = nobody knows what it is about (plain statement)
ingen vet helt hva den handler om = nobody really/fully knows what it is about (they might have a vague idea, but not clearly)

So helt here softens and nuances the meaning, similar to “really / quite / exactly” in English.

What does “den” refer to in “hva den handler om”?

Den is a third-person pronoun referring back to “serie” (series):

en serie (a series) → den (it)
In the sentence: hvilken serie vi skal se ... hva den handler om
- den = that series

Even though serie first appears in an indefinite phrase (hvilken serie = which series), once it is introduced, we can refer back to it with den (it).

Gender agreement:

en serie (common gender) → den
A neuter noun like et program would use det:
- hvilket program vi skal se, men ingen vet hva det handler om.

What does the verb phrase “handler om” mean in “hva den handler om”?

Å handle om noe means “to be about something”, “to deal with something”.

So:

hva den handler om = what it is about / what it deals with

Examples:

Filmen handler om krigen. = The movie is about the war.
Boka handler om en familie. = The book is about a family.

In “hva den handler om”:

hva = what
den = it (the series)
handler om = is about

Why is it “hva den handler om” and not “hva handler den om”?

The difference is that one is an embedded question and the other is a direct question.

Direct question:
- Hva handler den om? = What is it about?
- V2 rule: hva (question word) in first position, handler (verb) in second, den (subject) after the verb.
Embedded question (inside another sentence):
- Ingen vet helt hva den handler om. = Nobody really knows what it is about.
- In embedded questions, Norwegian word order is like English: subject–verb, not V2:
  - hva den handler om ≈ “what it is about”

So “hva den handler om” is correct because it is part of a larger sentence (Ingen vet helt ...).

Could the sentence use “snakker om” instead of “diskuterer”? What is the difference?

You could say:

I den samme meldingstråden snakker vi om hvilken serie vi skal se ...

This is grammatical, but the nuance shifts slightly:

diskuterer = discuss (more active, often implies weighing options, maybe some disagreement or decision-making)
snakker om = talk about (more neutral, casual conversation)

In this context, diskuterer suggests they are trying to decide which series to watch, not just casually mentioning series.

Why are the verbs “diskuterer” and “vet” in the present tense, even though the watching is in the future?

Norwegian often uses the present tense for:

actions happening right now
ongoing discussions or states
planned near-future situations (with skal for the future meaning)

In the sentence:

diskuterer vi = we are discussing (present, ongoing)
vi skal se = we are going to watch (future, expressed by skal)
ingen vet = no one knows (present state right now)

So:

Present tense for what is happening or true now (discussing, knowing).
Skal + infinitive (skal se) for the future action (watching the series).