Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Scenelysene tennes sakte, og en mikrofon testes før neste teaterstykke. - The stage lights are turned on slowly, and a microphone is tested before the next play.

lys (light) – neuter: et lys, lyset, lys, lysene
scenelys (stage light) – also neuter:
- et scenelys – a stage light
- scenelyset – the stage light
- scenelys – stage lights (indefinite plural)
- scenelysene – the stage lights (definite plural)

In the sentence we’re talking about all the stage lights in the situation (specific ones), so Norwegian uses the definite plural: scenelysene = the stage lights.

What exactly is the form tennes, and how is it different from tenner?

Tennes is the passive present form of the verb å tenne (to light, to turn on a light).

Active: scenelysene tenner – the stage lights light (something)
Passive: scenelysene tennes – the stage lights are being lit / are turned on

Forms of å tenne:

Infinitive: å tenne
Present active: tenner – lights / turns on
Preterite: tente
Perfect participle: tent
Present passive: tennes – are lit / are turned on

So tennes tells you two things:

Present tense
Passive voice – something/ someone is lighting the lights, but the doer is not mentioned.

Why use the passive tennes instead of an active form like Noen tenner scenelysene?

Using the passive here shifts the focus from who is doing the action to what is happening on stage.

Noen tenner scenelysene – Someone turns on the stage lights (focus on the agent)
Scenelysene tennes – The stage lights are turned on (focus on the lights and the process)

In stage directions, descriptions, and neutral narrative Norwegian very often uses the s‑passive:

Døren åpnes. – The door is opened.
Lysene slukkes. – The lights are turned off.

So tennes is stylistically natural in a descriptive sentence about what is happening on stage.

Is sakte an adverb here, and could I move it, like Scenelysene sakte tennes?

Yes, sakte is an adverb here, meaning slowly.

Normal neutral word order is:

Scenelysene tennes sakte. – Subject + Verb + Adverb

Putting sakte between the subject and verb (Scenelysene sakte tennes) is not natural in Norwegian. Adverbs like sakte usually come:

after the main verb in simple clauses: Lysene tennes sakte.
or between an auxiliary and a participle: Lysene blir sakte tent.

So the given sentence has the normal, idiomatic placement of sakte.

Could I use langsomt instead of sakte, and is there any difference?

You can say:

Scenelysene tennes sakte.
Scenelysene tennes langsomt.

Both mean the stage lights are slowly turned on.

Nuance:

sakte is the most common everyday choice for slowly.
langsomt is a bit more “bookish” or formal in some contexts, but it’s not wrong or strange.

Most speakers would prefer sakte in this type of stage description, but langsomt is fully correct.

Why is it en mikrofon and not mikrofonen in this sentence?

En mikrofon is the indefinite singular: a microphone.

Forms of mikrofon:

en mikrofon – a microphone
mikrofonen – the microphone
mikrofoner – microphones
mikrofonene – the microphones

The sentence does not refer to a specific, already known microphone; it just describes the typical action backstage: a microphone is being tested. So Norwegian uses the indefinite form en mikrofon, matching the vague/unspecified English a microphone.

In og en mikrofon testes, why does the verb testes come after the subject? Doesn’t Norwegian have a “verb-second” rule?

Norwegian main clauses normally follow the V2 rule: the finite verb is the second element in the clause.

After a coordinating conjunction like og, you start a new main clause. In that clause:

Subject: en mikrofon
Verb (finite): testes

So the word order is:

en mikrofon (1st element)
testes (2nd element)

The conjunction og is outside that count; it just links the clauses. So og en mikrofon testes still respects verb‑second word order.

What is testes grammatically, and how is it different from tester?

Testes is the passive present form of å teste (to test).

Active: noen tester en mikrofon – someone tests a microphone
Passive: en mikrofon testes – a microphone is tested / is being tested

Forms of å teste:

Infinitive: å teste
Present active: tester
Preterite: testet
Perfect participle: testet
Present passive: testes

So in en mikrofon testes, you have:

present tense
passive voice (agent not mentioned), just like tennes earlier in the sentence.

What does før do here, and is it the same word as in “before I go”?

Yes, it’s the same word før, meaning before.

It can be:

A subordinator in a clause:
- Før jeg går, tester jeg mikrofonen. – Before I go, I test the microphone.
Or a preposition-like word before a noun phrase, as in this sentence:
- før neste teaterstykke – before the next play

Here it introduces a time expression: før neste teaterstykke = before the next theatre piece. It says when the microphone is being tested.

Why is it før neste teaterstykke and not før det neste teaterstykket?

In Norwegian, neste (next) often behaves like a built‑in definite and normally doesn’t need an extra article in front of it.

So you usually say:

neste teaterstykke – the next play
neste uke – next week
neste gang – next time

You can say det neste teaterstykket in some contexts, but that sounds more like you’re contrasting it with other possible “next” plays or being unusually specific. For a neutral “before the next play,” the normal phrasing is før neste teaterstykke.

What does teaterstykke literally mean, and how is it different from words like teater or skuespill?

Teaterstykke is a compound:

teater – theatre
stykke – piece

So literally: “theatre piece”, i.e. a play (a dramatic work performed in a theatre).

Related words:

teater – the art form or the institution (theatre in general)
skuespill – also “play,” slightly more literary; literally “acting play” or “drama”
forestilling – a performance/show (one staging of a play, concert, etc.)

In most everyday contexts, teaterstykke and skuespill can both mean a play, but teaterstykke is very transparent and neutral.

The verbs are in the present tense (tennes, testes). Can this describe past or future events, or is it strictly present?

Norwegian, like English, can use the present tense for narrative or stage directions.

So:

Scenelysene tennes sakte, og en mikrofon testes før neste teaterstykke.

can function like:

“The stage lights are slowly turned on, and a microphone is tested before the next play.”

This “narrative present” can describe:

Something happening right now,
Something that regularly happens (a routine backstage),
Or part of a script / stage direction describing what is to happen.

Context decides whether you read it as real present, habitual, or “script present.”

Why is there a comma before og here? I thought Norwegian often omits commas before og.

Norwegian uses a comma between two main clauses that each have their own subject and verb.

In the sentence:

Scenelysene tennes sakte,
og en mikrofon testes før neste teaterstykke.

you have:

Main clause 1: Scenelysene tennes sakte.
Main clause 2: En mikrofon testes før neste teaterstykke.

Because og links two full main clauses, standard comma rules say you should put a comma before og here. In very informal writing some people might drop it, but the version with the comma is the norm in edited Norwegian.