Kommunen sender et nyhetsbrev om kildesortering og miljø hver måned.

The municipality sends a newsletter about waste sorting and the environment every month.

Breakdown of Kommunen sender et nyhetsbrev om kildesortering og miljø hver måned.

• et: a
• om: about
• og: and
• hver: every
• sende: to send
• miljøet: the environment
• måneden: the month
• kommunen: the municipality
• nyhetsbrevet: the newsletter
• kildesorteringen: the waste sorting

Questions & Answers about Kommunen sender et nyhetsbrev om kildesortering og miljø hver måned.

Why is it Kommunen and not en kommune at the start?

Kommunen is the definite singular form: “the municipality”, not “a municipality”.

• en kommune = a municipality (indefinite, any one)
• kommunen = the municipality (definite, a specific one)

In this sentence, we’re talking about a particular municipality that both speaker and listener know about (for example, the one you live in), so Norwegian uses the definite form kommunen.

Forms of kommune:

• Indefinite singular: en kommune
• Definite singular: kommunen
• Indefinite plural: kommuner
• Definite plural: kommunene

Why is it et nyhetsbrev and not en nyhetsbrev?

Because nyhetsbrev is a neuter noun in Norwegian, and neuter nouns take et as the indefinite article.

• et nyhetsbrev = a newsletter
• nyhetsbrevet = the newsletter

Typical pattern for et nyhetsbrev:

• Indefinite singular: et nyhetsbrev
• Definite singular: nyhetsbrevet
• Indefinite plural: nyhetsbrev
• Definite plural: nyhetsbrevene

Many neuter nouns have the same form in indefinite singular and plural (here: nyhetsbrev), and you see number from the article or context.

What exactly does om mean here?

In this sentence, om means “about / on the topic of”:

• et nyhetsbrev om kildesortering og miljø
  = a newsletter about waste sorting and the environment

Common meanings of om:

• about / on:
  
  • en bok om hunder – a book about dogs
• if / whether:
  
  • Jeg vet ikke om han kommer. – I don’t know if he is coming.
• around / approximately (with time/amounts):
  
  • om to timer – in/about two hours

Here it’s the “about / regarding” meaning.

What does kildesortering mean, and why is it one long word?

kildesortering is a compound noun:

• kilde = source
• sortering = sorting

Literally: “source sorting”, but the normal English translation is “waste sorting”, “recycling”, or “sorting waste at the source (in the home)”.

Norwegian, like German, loves compound words. Instead of writing several separate words, they are usually joined:

• husholdningsavfall (household waste)
• barnehageplass (daycare place)
• kildesortering (waste sorting / recycling system)

So kildesortering is correctly one word.

Why is there no article before kildesortering or miljø?

Because they are used in a general, abstract sense:

• kildesortering = waste sorting in general
• miljø = the environment in general

In Norwegian, abstract or mass nouns often appear without an article when you talk about the concept in general:

• Jeg liker musikk. – I like music. (not en musikk)
• Hun studerer historie. – She studies history.
• Nyhetsbrevet handler om miljø. – The newsletter is about the environment.

If you specify a particular environment or type of waste sorting, you could use an article:

• om det lokale miljøet – about the local environment
• om kildesorteringen i kommunen – about the waste sorting (system) in the municipality

Can I move hver måned earlier in the sentence, and is the word order important?

Yes, you can move hver måned, but you must respect the verb-second rule (V2) in main clauses.

Original:

• Kommunen sender et nyhetsbrev om kildesortering og miljø hver måned.

Natural alternatives:

• Hver måned sender kommunen et nyhetsbrev om kildesortering og miljø.
• Kommunen sender hver måned et nyhetsbrev om kildesortering og miljø.

What you cannot say in standard Norwegian is:

• ✗ Kommunen hver måned sender et nyhetsbrev … (verb must be in second position)

General rule:

• In main clauses, the finite verb (here: sender) must be the second element:
  • [Hver måned] [sender] kommunen …
  • [Kommunen] [sender] et nyhetsbrev …

What is the difference between hver måned and hver månedEN?

Hver måned is correct here; hver måneden is wrong in standard Norwegian.

• hver måned = every month / each month
  (used with the bare singular, no article)

You generally use hver (“each/every”) with a singular noun without an article:

• hver dag – every day
• hver uke – every week
• hver måned – every month
• hver person – each person

Adding a definite article after hver (hver dagen, hver måneden) is not standard grammar.

Could I say Kommunen sender ut et nyhetsbrev … instead of just sender?

Yes, you can. Both are grammatical:

• Kommunen sender et nyhetsbrev …
• Kommunen sender ut et nyhetsbrev …

Nuance:

• sende = to send (neutral)
• sende ut = to send out / distribute (slightly more explicit about the idea of distributing to many recipients)

In many contexts, especially with things like newsletters, sende ut can sound a bit more natural, but sende alone is perfectly fine and common.

Why is it om kildesortering og miljø and not om kildesortering og om miljø?

In Norwegian, one preposition can govern several items in a list, just like in English.

So:

• om kildesortering og miljø
  = about waste sorting and (about) the environment

You only need to repeat om if you want to emphasize a contrast or make the structure very clear, which is not necessary here. The normal, natural phrasing is with om only once.

Is hver more like “each” or “every” in English, and how do I use it?

hver combines the meanings of English “each” and “every”. Which English word you choose in translation depends on context.

Usage:

• hver
  • singular countable noun, no article:
    • hver måned – every month / each month
    • hver student – every student / each student
    • hver dag – every day

You don’t say:

• ✗ hver måneder
• ✗ hver måneden

If you need a clearly “each one individually” meaning, you can add emphasis:

• hver enkelt måned – each individual month
• hver eneste måned – every single month