Jeg forstår ikke handlingen i boken.

I

Breakdown of Jeg forstår ikke handlingen i boken.

• boken: the book
• i: in
• ikke: not

Questions & Answers about Jeg forstår ikke handlingen i boken.

Why does ikke come after forstår and not before it?

In Norwegian main clauses, ikke (not) usually comes after the conjugated verb:

• Jeg forstår ikke ... = I do not understand ...

The normal order is:

• Subject – Verb – ikke – (object / rest of the sentence)
  Jeg – forstår – ikke – handlingen i boken.

Putting ikke before the verb (Jeg ikke forstår ...) is wrong in a normal statement. (You only move the verb in yes/no questions and some other special structures.)

Why is it handlingen and not just handling?

Handling means action or plot.
Handlingen is the definite form: the action / the plot.

Norwegian usually adds definiteness as a suffix:

• en handling = a plot / an action
• handlingen = the plot / the action

In English you use a separate word (the), but in Norwegian it is built into the noun. So:

• Jeg forstår ikke handlingen i boken.
  = I do not understand the plot in the book.

What exactly does handlingen mean here? Is it “action” or “plot”?