Jeg forstår rådet.

I understand the advice.

Breakdown of Jeg forstår rådet.

• jeg: I
• forstå: to understand
• rådet: the advice

Questions & Answers about Jeg forstår rådet.

What are the individual words in Jeg forstår rådet and what do they correspond to in English?

• Jeg = I (first person singular subject pronoun)
• forstår = understand (present tense of the verb å forstå = to understand)
• rådet = the advice (definite form of et råd = an advice / a piece of advice)

So the sentence literally matches English word-for-word: I understand the advice.

Why does råd become rådet and not something like råden when it means “the advice”?

Norwegian nouns have grammatical gender, and that affects the definite ending:

• et råd (a piece of advice) → råd is neuter (intetkjønn).
• The definite singular ending for neuter nouns is -et.

So:

• et råd = a (piece of) advice
• rådet = the (piece of) advice

If it were a masculine noun, it would usually take -en as the definite ending; if feminine, often -a (or sometimes also -en, depending on style).

Why is there no separate word for “the” in rådet?

In Norwegian, the definite article (the) is normally attached to the end of the noun as a suffix, instead of being a separate word like in English.

• bok = book → boka / boken = the book
• hus = house → huset = the house
• råd = advice → rådet = the advice

So Norwegian commonly uses postposed definite articles. There are separate words like den / det / de, but they’re usually used for emphasis, demonstratives, or with adjectives (e.g. det gode rådet = the good advice).

Can rådet also mean “the council”, not just “the advice”?

Yes. Råd has at least two common meanings:

1. råd (uncountable) = advice

   • rådet = the advice

2. et råd (countable) = a council / a board / a committee

   • rådet = the council / the board

Which meaning is intended depends on context.
In Jeg forstår rådet, if you already know the English meaning is “I understand the advice,” then rådet is the advice, not a council.

How would I say just “I understand” without mentioning “the advice”?

The most natural way is:

• Jeg forstår. = I understand.

You can also say:

• Jeg forstår det. = I understand it / I get it.

Used by itself in conversation, Jeg forstår or Jeg skjønner (see below) can both work as “Got it” / “I see.”

What’s the difference between forstår and skjønner? Both seem to mean “understand.”

Both verbs are often translated as “understand”, but they have slightly different usage and feel:

• å forstå

  • More neutral, can be slightly more formal or intellectual.
  • Often used for understanding languages, concepts, explanations.
  • Example: Jeg forstår norsk. = I understand Norwegian.

• å skjønne

  • Very common in everyday spoken Norwegian.
  • Often closer to “get it” / “see what you mean.”
  • Example: Jeg skjønner. = I get it / I see.

In your sentence, you could say:

• Jeg forstår rådet. (perfectly correct)
• Jeg skjønner rådet. (also correct, a bit more colloquial in tone)

What tense is forstår, and how do I say it in the past or future?

forstår is present tense of å forstå (to understand).

Main forms of the verb:

• Infinitive: å forstå = to understand
• Present: forstår = understand / understands
  
  • Jeg forstår rådet. = I understand the advice.
• Past: forstod or forsto (both forms exist) = understood
  
  • Jeg forstod rådet. = I understood the advice.
• Present perfect: har forstått = have understood
  
  • Jeg har forstått rådet. = I have understood the advice.

Norwegian often uses the present tense even where English might use present continuous (“am understanding”), so Jeg forstår covers both I understand and I am understanding (though the latter is rare in English).

How would I make the sentence negative, like “I don’t understand the advice”?

The basic pattern in main clauses is:

Subject + verb + ikke + (rest of the sentence)

So:

• Jeg forstår rådet. = I understand the advice.
• Jeg forstår ikke rådet. = I do not understand the advice.

You can also put ikke later for emphasis, but the neutral place is right after the verb forstår.

Is there anything special about the pronunciation of Jeg forstår rådet that I should know as an English speaker?

Yes, a few points:

1. Jeg

   • In many dialects (especially around Oslo), it’s often pronounced more like “jæi” or just “jæ”.
   • In careful speech: roughly like English “yai”.

2. forstår

   • o is close to the English vowel in “or” (but shorter).
   • å is like the vowel in British “saw” or “law.”
   • Final r is usually pronounced, but how strongly depends on dialect.

3. rådet

   • rå: again the å like in “saw.”
   • d before t can be quite soft or nearly silent in some accents, so it may sound like “rå-e(t)”.
   • et ending is unstressed and short, a bit like a clipped “ut”.

So a rough, simplified approximation:
Jeg forstår rådet ≈ “Yai for-stor rå-det” (but shorter and smoother).

How would I say “I understand that advice” or “I understand your advice” more explicitly?

You can specify whose or which advice you mean:

• Jeg forstår det rådet.

  • Literally: I understand that advice / that piece of advice.
  • det here works like a demonstrative (“that”).

• Jeg forstår rådet ditt.

  • Literally: I understand the advice yours.
  • Natural English: I understand your advice.

• Jeg forstår rådet du ga meg.

  • I understand the advice you gave me.

All of these keep the structure of Jeg forstår rådet, just adding more detail.