Mange seere skriver meldinger til programmet.

Many viewers write messages to the program.

Breakdown of Mange seere skriver meldinger til programmet.

• til: to
• skrive: to write
• programmet: the program
• meldingen: the message
• mange: many
• seeren: the viewer

Questions & Answers about Mange seere skriver meldinger til programmet.

What does mange mean here, and how is it different from mye?

Mange means many and is used with countable plural nouns.
So mange seere = many viewers.

Mye means much / a lot (of) and is used with:

• uncountable nouns:
  
  • mye vann = much water
  • mye tid = a lot of time
• or as an adverb:
  
  • Det regner mye. = It rains a lot.

You cannot say mye seere, because seere is a countable plural; you need mange there.

Why is there no article before mange seere? Why not De mange seerne?

After words that indicate quantity (like mange, få, noen, numbers, etc.), Norwegian normally does not use an article:

• mange seere = many viewers
• to seere = two viewers
• noen seere = some viewers

If you say de mange seerne, that means the many viewers – it refers to a specific, known group and sounds more formal or literary.

In your sentence, we’re talking about viewers in general, so mange seere (no article) is normal.

Why is it seere and not just seer? How does this noun work?

Seere is the plural form of seer.

The forms are:

• en seer = a viewer (indefinite singular)
• seeren = the viewer (definite singular)
• seere = viewers (indefinite plural)
• seerne = the viewers (definite plural)

So in mange seere, we need the indefinite plural, because we’re saying many viewers (not “the viewers”).

Does seere mean “viewers” like TV viewers, or “seers” like fortune‑tellers?

In modern Norwegian, en seer / seere most commonly means TV viewers / viewers of a program.

There is also a more old‑fashioned or religious meaning seer (someone who can see the future), but in everyday language and especially in media contexts, speakers will interpret seere as people watching a TV/radio/online program.

So in this sentence, it’s clearly viewers of the program.

Why is the verb skriver and not something that changes with the subject, like in some other languages?

In Norwegian, verbs do not change with person or number. The present tense form is the same for all subjects.

For the verb å skrive (to write):

• jeg skriver – I write / am writing
• du skriver – you write / are writing
• han/hun skriver – he/she writes / is writing
• vi skriver – we write / are writing
• dere skriver – you (plural) write / are writing
• de skriver – they write / are writing

So mange seere skriver just uses the regular present tense form skriver, which works for any subject.

Does skriver here mean “write” or “are writing”? How is the English continuous translated?

Norwegian present tense skriver covers both:

• many viewers write messages
• many viewers are writing messages

Norwegian normally does not use a special continuous form like English am writing / are writing. The simple present skriver is used for:

• general habits: Jeg skriver ofte. = I often write.
• right‑now actions: Jeg skriver en e‑post nå. = I’m writing an email now.

So context decides whether you understand it as write or are writing.

What exactly is meldinger, and how is it related to melding?

Melding means message (often a written or electronic message, like a text, chat, or short note).

Its main forms:

• en melding = a message (indefinite singular)
• meldingen = the message (definite singular)
• meldinger = messages (indefinite plural)
• meldingene = the messages (definite plural)

In your sentence, meldinger is the indefinite plural: messages.

Why is meldinger plural? Could it also be singular?

Meldinger is plural because the sentence is describing what many viewers do: they typically send more than one message in total (not necessarily each, but altogether). So mange seere … meldinger fits well as many viewers write messages.

You could say:

• Mange seere skriver en melding til programmet.
  = Many viewers write a message to the program.

That would emphasize one message per viewer (or one message in a specific situation).

But the neutral, general statement about interaction with the program is usually with the plural meldinger.

Is melding the same as beskjed, or is there a difference?

They overlap a bit, but there is a difference in typical use:

• melding: neutral message, especially written or electronic
  
  • tekstmelding = text message
  • melding på Facebook = message on Facebook
• beskjed: more like notice / instruction / information you give someone
  
  • Gi meg beskjed. = Let me know.
  • Jeg fikk beskjed om å komme tidlig. = I was told to come early.

In the context of viewers interacting with a program (texts, chat, emails), meldinger is the natural word.

What does til programmet literally mean, and why is til used here?

Til programmet literally means to the program.

• til is the common preposition for to when you are sending or directing something to someone/something:
  
  • skrive til noen = write to someone
  • sende en e‑post til læreren = send an email to the teacher

So skriver meldinger til programmet = write messages to the program.

Using for programmet would mean something like “for the benefit of the program” or “on behalf of the program”, which is a different meaning.

Why is it programmet and not just program?

Programmet is the definite form: the program.

The noun program (neuter) has these forms:

• et program = a program (indefinite singular)
• programmet = the program (definite singular)
• programmer = programs (indefinite plural)
• programmene = the programs (definite plural)

In this sentence, we are talking about a specific program (the one the viewers are watching), so Norwegian uses the definite form programmet – just like English uses the program rather than a program.

Is the word order Mange seere skriver meldinger til programmet fixed, or can parts be moved?

The basic word order here is Subject – Verb – Object – (other info):

• Mange seere (subject)
• skriver (verb)
• meldinger (object)
• til programmet (prepositional phrase)

Norwegian, however, follows the V2 rule in main clauses: the finite verb must be in second position. So you can move other elements to the front, but the verb stays second. For example:

• Til programmet skriver mange seere meldinger.
  (To the program, many viewers write messages.)

Here, Til programmet is in first position for emphasis, skriver stays second, and the rest follows. The meaning stays basically the same; you just change what you emphasize.

What is the difference between Mange seere skriver meldinger til programmet and Seerne skriver meldinger til programmet?

• Mange seere skriver …
  = Many viewers write messages...
  This highlights how many viewers do it. It implies that a significant number, but not necessarily all, are writing.

• Seerne skriver …
  = The viewers write messages...
  This refers to a specific group of viewers (for example, the viewers of this particular show) and doesn’t directly say anything about how many of them – it could be all, most, or just in general as a group.

So mange seere focuses on quantity, while seerne focuses on which group (definiteness).

How do you pronounce the tricky parts of Mange seere skriver meldinger til programmet?

Very roughly in English‑style approximation (standard East Norwegian):

• Mange ≈ MAHNG-eh (soft g, almost like mah-ne)
• seere ≈ SEH-eh-reh (two syllables after the s, kind of like SAY-ruh, but with a clearer middle e)
• skriver ≈ SKREE-ver (the r is tapped; skri- like scree in English)
• meldinger ≈ MELL-ding-er (the -er at the end is weak, often close to -ə)
• til ≈ til or til(l) (the l is clear)
• programmet ≈ pro-GRAHM-met (stress on -gram-; g as in go, o like in pro but shorter)

Norwegian final -er endings (in skriver, meldinger) are usually pronounced very lightly, often like a schwa sound -ə.