Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Slike forbilder trenger barna, mener læreren. - Children need such role models, the teacher thinks.

Barna trenger slike forbilder is the neutral, most typical order (Subject–Verb–Object).
Slike forbilder trenger barna puts slike forbilder (such role models) first for emphasis or contrast. It’s like saying in English: It’s role models like these that the children need.

Grammatically, Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb is always in the second position in the clause, no matter what comes first.

In Slike forbilder trenger barna:

First position: Slike forbilder (object, fronted for emphasis)
Second position (must be the verb): trenger
Then the subject: barna

So the sentence is still the same underlying S–V–O, but the object has been moved to the front for focus, pushing the subject after the verb.

What exactly does slike mean here, and how is it different from slik, slikt, and sånne?

Slike is the plural form of the demonstrative adjective slik, meaning such / of this kind.

Basic pattern:

slik – singular, common gender: slik lærer (such a teacher)
slikt – singular, neuter: slikt barn (such a child)
slike – plural (for both genders): slike forbilder (such role models)

So in the sentence, slike is plural because forbilder is plural.

Compared to sånne:

slike = neutral/standard: slike forbilder
sånne = more informal/colloquial: sånne forbilder

Meaning is basically the same (such / those kinds of), but sånne sounds more casual and spoken-language-like. In written standard Norwegian, slike is preferred.

What form is forbilder? How do you say a role model, role models, etc.?

Forbilder is the indefinite plural of forbilde (a neuter noun).

The main forms:

et forbilde – a role model (indefinite singular)
forbildet – the role model (definite singular)
forbilder – role models (indefinite plural)
forbildene – the role models (definite plural)

In the sentence, slike forbilder means such role models (plural, indefinite). There is no article because in Norwegian you normally:

Use no article + plural ending for indefinite plural: forbilder (role models)
Use article + singular or definite suffix for singular: et forbilde, forbildet

Why is it barna and not barn or something like barner?

Barn is an irregular neuter noun in Norwegian.

Its forms are:

et barn – a child (indefinite singular)
barnet – the child (definite singular)
barn – children (indefinite plural)
barna – the children (definite plural)

So:

barn (without ending) can mean either a child (when used with article et barn) or children (indefinite plural).
barna specifically means the children.

In the sentence, barna is definite plural:

Slike forbilder trenger barna = The children need such role models (or simply Children need such role models, if the context makes it general).

Using barn instead of barna would change the meaning to indefinite plural:

Slike forbilder trenger barn – Children (in general / some children) need such role models.

Barner doesn’t exist; irregular neuter nouns often have no extra -er in the plural.

Why is there a comma before mener læreren?

The sentence actually consists of two clauses:

Slike forbilder trenger barna – Children need such role models
mener læreren – the teacher thinks

The second clause is a reporting clause (like says the teacher, thinks the teacher). In Norwegian, when you put this reporting clause after the main statement, it is normally separated by a comma:

Slike forbilder trenger barna, mener læreren.
Dette er viktig, sier rektoren. – This is important, says the principal.

So the comma marks the boundary between what is being stated and who is stating it.

You could also write it as a regular sentence without inversion:

Læreren mener at barna trenger slike forbilder.

Then you are not likely to use a comma before mener, because it’s just a single main clause followed by a subordinate clause.

Why is it mener læreren instead of læreren mener?

Both orders are grammatically possible, but here mener læreren is the natural, idiomatic order because it is a reporting tag placed after the main statement.

Norwegian (like English) commonly uses Verb + subject after quoted or reported content:

Dette er viktig, sier læreren. – This is important, says the teacher.
Slike forbilder trenger barna, mener læreren. – Children need such role models, thinks the teacher.

If you put the subject first:

Slike forbilder trenger barna, læreren mener.

This sounds odd and unidiomatic in standard Norwegian. Native speakers virtually always use mener læreren / sier han / forklarer hun in this kind of tag position.

If you want læreren first, you normally make it a normal main clause and subordinate clause:

Læreren mener at barna trenger slike forbilder. – The teacher thinks (that) the children need such role models.

Could we also say Barna trenger slike forbilder, mener læreren? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, that is perfectly correct and very natural:

Barna trenger slike forbilder, mener læreren.

Meaning: The teacher thinks (that) children/the children need such role models.

The difference is only in emphasis:

Barna trenger slike forbilder – neutral order, focus more on the children needing role models.
Slike forbilder trenger barna – puts extra emphasis on slike forbilder (such role models). It can sound a bit more stylistic, written, or emphatic.

In both versions, mener læreren functions the same way: it tells you whose opinion this is.

What is the nuance of mener here? Could you also use synes?

Both mener and synes can translate as think, but they are not used in exactly the same way.

mene (present mener) = to think, to be of the opinion that, often a bit more deliberate or opinion-like.
synes = to feel / to think in the sense of a personal impression or subjective feeling.

In this context:

Slike forbilder trenger barna, mener læreren.

This suggests the teacher’s considered opinion, maybe based on experience or reflection. It’s a statement about what the teacher believes is right or needed.

You could say:

Slike forbilder trenger barna, synes læreren.

This is not wrong, but it sounds slightly more like that’s how the teacher feels about it, a bit softer and more subjective. In many cases they overlap, but mener here fits the tone of a teacher making an educational or professional judgement.

Could the same idea be expressed as Læreren mener at barna trenger slike forbilder? Is there any difference?

Yes, that sentence is fully correct and maybe even the most straightforward way to say it:

Læreren mener at barna trenger slike forbilder.
= The teacher thinks that the children need such role models.

Differences:

Læreren mener at ... is a normal declarative sentence with a subordinate clause (at barna trenger slike forbilder) and is very neutral and common in spoken and written language.
Slike forbilder trenger barna, mener læreren. has a bit more stylistic flavor:
- It front-loads slike forbilder for emphasis.
- It treats mener læreren as a tag/comment at the end, almost like a journalistic style.

Meaning-wise, they are the same. The version with at is slightly more formal and structurally simple; the original version feels a bit more rhetorical or written.

Is trenger the same as needs in English? Could you use behøver or må ha instead?

Trenger is the present tense of trenge, and it’s the most common verb for to need in modern Norwegian.

In this sentence:

barna trenger slike forbilder = the children need such role models

Alternatives:

behøver – also means need, but is used less often in everyday speech; can sound a bit more formal or old-fashioned in some dialects.
- Barna behøver slike forbilder. (correct, but less common than trenger)
må ha – literally must have, stronger and more urgent than just need.
- Barna må ha slike forbilder. – The children must have such role models (they absolutely need them).

So trenger is the natural, default choice here; it matches the English need best in tone and frequency.

Is this kind of word order (object first + comma + mener læreren) typical only in written Norwegian, or is it used in speech too?

It definitely appears in speech as well, but with some nuance:

In everyday spoken Norwegian, people will very often say the simpler:
- Læreren mener at barna trenger slike forbilder.
  or
- Barna trenger slike forbilder, mener læreren.
Putting the object first like:
- Slike forbilder trenger barna, mener læreren.

is possible in speech, especially if the speaker wants to emphasize slike forbilder. However, this word order is somewhat more common in written language (newspaper articles, opinion pieces, essays), where people play more with fronting for stylistic effect.

So it’s not wrong or unnatural in speech, but you will probably hear the neutral order more often in casual conversation.