Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Vi fordeler mat rettferdig mellom barna. - We distribute food fairly among the children.

Infinitive (dictionary form): fordele
Present tense: fordeler → Vi fordeler mat = We distribute food
Past tense: fordelte → Vi fordelte mat = We distributed food
Past participle: fordelt → Maten er fordelt = The food has been distributed

In this sentence, fordeler is an action happening now or regularly:
Vi fordeler mat rettferdig mellom barna.
= We distribute food fairly among the children.

How is fordele different from dele? Both seem to mean “to share”.

Both verbs can involve sharing, but they have different nuances:

fordele
- Focuses on distribution in portions, often with a sense of systematic or fair allocation.
- Often used when something is divided up between several people or groups.
- Example:
  - Læreren fordeler oppgavene. = The teacher distributes the tasks.
dele
- More general to share / to divide / to split.
- Can mean:
  - to share something with someone:
    - Kan du dele kaken med meg? = Can you share the cake with me?
  - to divide something:
    - Vi deler kaken i åtte biter. = We divide the cake into eight pieces.
  - to share (abstract things):
    - Vi deler et hus. = We share a house.

In Vi fordeler mat rettferdig mellom barna, fordeler suggests a conscious, fair distribution of food portion by portion, which is stronger than simply dele mat.

Why is it mat and not maten? What is the difference between Vi fordeler mat and Vi fordeler maten?

Mat is an uncountable noun in Norwegian, like food in English.

Vi fordeler mat rettferdig mellom barna.
- Literally: We distribute food fairly among the children.
- Mat here means food in general, not a specific known portion.
- Natural if you mean the activity of distributing food regularly or in general.
Vi fordeler maten rettferdig mellom barna.
- Maten = the food (definite form).
- Implies a specific amount of food that everyone already knows about (for example, the food that is on the table right now).
- More like: We distribute the food fairly among the children.

Both are grammatically correct; the choice depends on whether you mean food in general (mat) or this particular food (maten).

Is rettferdig an adjective or an adverb here? Why doesn’t it change form?

In this sentence, rettferdig functions as an adverb, describing how the food is distributed:

Hvordan fordeler vi mat? → Rettferdig.
→ How do we distribute food? → Fairly.

In Norwegian, many adverbs are formed from adjectives without changing the form, especially when they describe how an action is done:

Han er snill. (adjective) = He is kind.
Han oppfører seg snill. is odd; instead:
Han oppfører seg snilt. (adverb form with -t)

But some adjectives can be used unchanged as manner adverbs, especially those ending in -ig, -lig, -som:

rettferdig → used as both adjective and adverb
- Adjective: En rettferdig lærer. = A fair teacher.
- Adverb: Han dømmer rettferdig. = He judges fairly.

So rettferdig here is an adverb in unchanged form.

Why is the word order mat rettferdig mellom barna and not rettferdig mat mellom barna?

Norwegian word order here is:

Subject – Verb – Object – Adverb – Prepositional phrase
- Vi (subject)
- fordeler (verb)
- mat (object)
- rettferdig (adverb)
- mellom barna (prepositional phrase)

So:

Vi fordeler mat rettferdig mellom barna.

If you say:

Vi fordeler rettferdig mat mellom barna.

then rettferdig becomes an adjective describing mat:

rettferdig mat = fair food (food that is itself fair), which is odd or unclear.

So:

mat rettferdig = distribute food fairly (correct meaning).
rettferdig mat = fair food (strange meaning in most contexts).

That is why the adverb rettferdig normally comes after the object here.

Could I say Vi fordeler maten rettferdig blant barna? What’s the difference between mellom and blant?

Yes, Vi fordeler maten rettferdig blant barna is grammatical and natural.

Mellom and blant can overlap, but they are not always identical:

mellom = between / among
- Often more concrete, emphasizing distribution from one to another.
- Very natural with fordele:
  - Vi fordeler mat mellom barna.
  - We distribute food between/among the children.
blant = among
- More like “in the group of”.
- Often about being part of a group rather than distribution from one to another:
  - Han er populær blant barna. = He is popular among the children.

With fordele, both work, but:

mellom barna gives a slight focus on the division from child to child.
blant barna is more neutral “among the children”.

Native speakers use both, and in many contexts they are interchangeable here.

What does the ending -a in barna mean? Why not just barn?

Barn has a slightly irregular pattern:

Singular indefinite: et barn = a child
Singular definite: barnet = the child
Plural indefinite: barn = children
Plural definite: barna = the children

So:

barn = children (in general, not specific)
barna = the children (a specific, known group of children)

In the sentence:

Vi fordeler mat rettferdig mellom barna.
= We distribute food fairly among the children (some specific children, for example the kids in this group / family / class).

If you said mellom barn, it would sound like among children in general, with no concrete group, and is less natural in this specific context.

Is fordeler always a verb? I’ve seen fordeler used to mean “advantages”.

Fordeler can be both:

Verb (present tense of fordele)
- Vi fordeler mat. = We distribute food.
Noun (plural of fordel)
- en fordel = an advantage / a benefit
- fordeler = advantages / benefits
- Example:
  - Det har mange fordeler. = It has many advantages.

In Vi fordeler mat rettferdig mellom barna, fordeler is clearly a verb because it:

comes right after the subject Vi,
has a direct object mat,
fits the normal Subject–Verb–Object pattern.

How would I say this sentence in the past and future?

Using fordele’s regular conjugation:

Present (now / habit):
- Vi fordeler mat rettferdig mellom barna.
- We distribute food fairly among the children.
Past (preterite):
- Vi fordelte mat rettferdig mellom barna.
- We distributed food fairly among the children.
Present perfect (has/have):
- Vi har fordelt mat rettferdig mellom barna.
- We have distributed food fairly among the children.
Future with skal (going to / will):
- Vi skal fordele mat rettferdig mellom barna.
- We are going to distribute food fairly among the children.
Future with kommer til å (likely future):
- Vi kommer til å fordele mat rettferdig mellom barna.
- We will / are likely to distribute food fairly among the children.

Can rettferdig also be used as an adjective about a person, like “a fair teacher”?

Yes. Rettferdig is primarily an adjective, and can be used about people or things:

En rettferdig lærer. = A fair teacher.
Et rettferdig system. = A fair system.
En rettferdig dom. = A fair verdict.

It can also be used in the neuter and plural:

Et rettferdig valg. = A fair choice.
Rettferdige regler. = Fair rules.

And, as in the original sentence, it can function as an adverb:

Han dømmer rettferdig. = He judges fairly.
Vi fordeler mat rettferdig. = We distribute food fairly.

What is the basic word order pattern in this sentence, and is it the normal Norwegian order?

Yes, this is the normal main-clause word order in Norwegian:

Vi – subject
fordeler – verb
mat – direct object
rettferdig – adverb (manner: how?)
mellom barna – prepositional phrase (where / between whom?)

So the pattern is:

Subject – Verb – Object – (Manner) – (Place / Prepositional phrase)

Norwegian main clauses usually start with Subject – Verb, like English:

Vi fordeler mat.
Vi spiser mat.
Vi kjøper mat.

Then you add adverbs and prepositional phrases after that core.

Is there any difference between mellom barna and barna imellom?

Both are grammatically correct, but they differ slightly in style and nuance:

mellom barna
- Neutral and very common.
- Directly means between/among the children.
- Vi fordeler mat rettferdig mellom barna.
barna imellom
- A bit more literary or styled, sometimes with a nuance of “among themselves”.
- More often used with states or relationships:
  - Det er lite konflikt barna imellom.
    = There is little conflict among the children.

In your sentence, mellom barna is more straightforward and natural.
Vi fordeler mat rettferdig barna imellom is possible but sounds more formal/old-fashioned and less typical in everyday speech.