Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Etter krangelen er trøsten at vi fortsatt er venner. - After the argument the comfort is that we are still friends.

English often uses the bare noun after argument or the indefinite after an argument, but Norwegian naturally prefers the definite form in this kind of concrete, specific situation:

etter festen = after the party
etter møtet = after the meeting
etter krangelen = after the argument

What are the forms of the noun krangel, and what does it mean?

Krangel is a masculine noun meaning argument, row, or quarrel (usually verbal, not physical). Its main forms are:

Indefinite singular: en krangel (an argument)
Definite singular: krangelen (the argument)
Indefinite plural: krangler (arguments)
Definite plural: kranglene (the arguments)

Verb: å krangle = to argue, to quarrel
Noun: krangling = arguing (the activity in general)

What exactly does trøsten mean here, and why is it in the definite form?

The noun trøst means comfort or consolation.

Forms:

Indefinite: trøst = (some) comfort, consolation
Definite: trøsten = the comfort, the consolation

In this sentence, trøsten refers to “the particular thing that comforts us in this situation”. That’s why the definite form is natural:

Trøsten er at … = The comfort (the consolation) is that …

You could also say:

Det er en trøst at vi fortsatt er venner.
= It is a comfort that we are still friends.

That version uses en trøst (a comfort) because it presents this as one source of comfort among others. Using trøsten feels a bit more like “this is the consoling fact about the situation.”

In the main clause, what is the subject? Is it trøsten or the at-clause?

In Etter krangelen er trøsten at vi fortsatt er venner, the subject is trøsten, and at vi fortsatt er venner is a predicative complement (a clause that says what the consolation consists of).

The basic structure (ignoring etter krangelen) is:

Trøsten (subject)
er (linking verb)
at vi fortsatt er venner (predicative complement / content clause)

If you put the subject first, you can see it clearly:

Trøsten er at vi fortsatt er venner.
= The comfort is that we are still friends.

Etter krangelen is just a fronted time expression (after the argument). Norwegian keeps the main verb in second position (V2), so the order becomes:

Etter krangelen (time expression)
er (finite verb)
trøsten (subject)
at vi fortsatt er venner (rest of the clause)

Why is it etter krangelen and not etter at something? How do etter and etter at differ?

You use etter alone when it is followed by a noun phrase:

etter krangelen = after the argument
etter møtet = after the meeting
etter ferien = after the holiday

You use etter at when it is followed by a clause (with a subject and verb):

etter at vi kranglet = after we argued
etter at møtet var ferdig = after the meeting was finished

So:

Etter krangelen er trøsten … = After the argument, the comfort is …
Etter at vi kranglet, er trøsten … = After we argued, the comfort is …

Both are grammatical; they just focus slightly differently (one on “the argument” as an event, the other on the action “we argued”).

What is the function of at in at vi fortsatt er venner? Is it the same as at = to?

Here at is the conjunction meaning that, introducing a content clause:

at vi fortsatt er venner = that we are still friends

So the structure is:

trøsten er [at vi fortsatt er venner]
→ the comfort is [that we are still friends]

This at is different from:

å = to (the infinitive marker, as in å snakke, to speak)

So:

at vi… = that we… (introduces a finite clause)
å være… = to be… (introduces an infinitive)

Why is it at vi fortsatt er venner and not som vi fortsatt er venner? When do we use at vs som?

At and som introduce different kinds of clauses:

at = that, introduces a content clause (a “that-clause” that functions like a noun):
- Jeg vet at du har rett. = I know that you are right.
- Trøsten er at vi fortsatt er venner. = The comfort is that we are still friends.
som = who/that/which, introduces a relative clause describing a noun:
- venner som støtter oss = friends who support us
- krangelen som vi hadde i går = the argument that we had yesterday

In our sentence, at vi fortsatt er venner is not describing a noun; it is a whole fact that functions as “what the comfort is”. That requires at, not som.

Why is the word order vi fortsatt er venner and not vi er fortsatt venner?

This clause is introduced by at, so it is a subordinate clause. In Norwegian subordinate clauses, the normal word order is:

Subject – (adverb) – Verb – (rest)

So:

vi (subject)
fortsatt (adverb)
er (verb)
venner (predicate noun)

In main clauses, Norwegian has the V2 rule (the verb is in second position), and adverbs often come after the verb:

Vi er fortsatt venner. (main clause: We are still friends.)

So both sequences exist, but in different environments:

at vi fortsatt er venner (subordinate)
Vi er fortsatt venner. (main)

What exactly does fortsatt mean, and could we use fremdeles or enda instead?

Fortsatt means still (in the sense of continuing to be the case).

vi fortsatt er venner = we are still friends

You can often replace fortsatt with fremdeles with little or no change in meaning:

vi fremdeles er venner = we are still friends

Enda can sometimes also mean still, but it is more restricted and also often means even or yet, depending on context. In this exact sentence, enda would usually not be used; fortsatt or fremdeles are the natural choices.

Rough guideline:

fortsatt / fremdeles = still (continuing situation)
enda = still/yet/even, but more idiomatic and context‑dependent; not the default choice here.

Why is it venner and not vennene or kompiser?

Venn is a noun meaning friend. Its main forms:

Indefinite singular: en venn = a friend
Definite singular: vennen = the friend
Indefinite plural: venner = friends
Definite plural: vennene = the friends

In this sentence, the focus is on the status or relationship type (“we are still friends”) rather than on a particular set of specific, identified people. So Norwegian uses the indefinite plural:

vi er venner = we are friends

If you said vi er vennene, it would mean “we are the friends (the specific group known as ‘the friends’)”, which is not what is meant here.

Kompiser is more colloquial and masculine‑sounding (like “buddies”). You could say:

… at vi fortsatt er kompiser.

That sounds more casual and male‑to‑male, whereas venner is neutral and standard.

Could we also say Trøsten etter krangelen er at vi fortsatt er venner? Is there a difference?

Yes, that is also grammatical:

Trøsten etter krangelen er at vi fortsatt er venner.

Difference in emphasis:

Etter krangelen er trøsten at …
→ First sets the time (after the argument), then states what the comfort is.
Trøsten etter krangelen er at …
→ First focuses directly on the consolation after the argument.

Both sentences mean essentially the same thing. The original version highlights the time frame a bit more by putting Etter krangelen first.

What is the difference between etter and etterpå in this context? Could we say Etterpå er trøsten at …?

etter = after (a preposition, needs a complement):
- etter krangelen = after the argument
etterpå = afterwards, later (an adverb, stands alone):
- Etterpå snakket vi sammen. = Afterwards we talked.

You could say:

Etterpå er trøsten at vi fortsatt er venner.

That would mean something like: Afterwards, the comfort is that we are still friends. It’s grammatical, but it is less specific (it does not say “after the argument”), and stylistically it sounds a bit more like “Later on, what consoles us is that…”.

In the original sentence, etter krangelen explicitly ties the consolation to that particular argument, which is usually what you want here.