Brukeren skriver en kommentar i kommentarfeltet.

The user writes a comment in the comment field.

Breakdown of Brukeren skriver en kommentar i kommentarfeltet.

• en: a
• i: in
• skrive: to write
• kommentaren: the comment
• kommentarfeltet: the comment field
• brukeren: the user

Questions & Answers about Brukeren skriver en kommentar i kommentarfeltet.

Why is it brukeren and not just bruker?

Norwegian often shows “the” by adding an ending to the noun instead of putting a separate word in front of it.

• bruker = user
• bruker + en → brukeren = the user

-en is the common-gender definite ending (for words that take en in the indefinite form).

So Brukeren skriver … = The user writes …
If you said Bruker skriver …, it would sound incomplete or wrong, because you’d be saying something like “User writes …” without the or a.

Does skriver mean “writes” or “is writing”?

It can mean both. Norwegian doesn’t have a separate continuous tense like English.

• Brukeren skriver en kommentar
  = The user writes a comment
  = The user is writing a comment

The exact English translation (simple or continuous) depends on context, but in Norwegian you just use skriver for both.

Why do we say en kommentar and not kommentaren?

Again, this is about indefinite vs definite:

• en kommentar = a comment (indefinite, new/unspecified comment)
• kommentaren = the comment (definite, a specific comment already known in the context)

In your sentence, the user is simply writing a comment, not a particular, already known comment. So en kommentar is natural.

You might use the definite form in a context like:

• Brukeren redigerer kommentaren.
  The user is editing the comment. (a specific one we already know about)

What exactly is the difference between kommentar and kommentarfelt?

• kommentar = comment (the thing the user writes)
• felt = field (area, box)
• kommentarfelt = comment field / comment box

So:

• en kommentar = one specific comment
• kommentarfeltet = the specific comment field where you type comments

kommentarfelt is a compound noun: two nouns combined into one word, which is very common in Norwegian.

Why is it i kommentarfeltet and not på kommentarfeltet?

Norwegian uses i and på in ways that are similar to, but not identical with, English in and on.

• i is used when something is inside or within a space,
• på is used more for on top of, or for some fixed expressions.

A kommentarfelt is thought of as a space/field you type in, so Norwegians say:

• skrive i kommentarfeltet = write in the comment field

Saying på kommentarfeltet would sound odd here, as if you were writing on top of the field somehow.

Why does kommentarfeltet end in -et and not -en?

Norwegian nouns have genders, and they take different definite endings:

• en-words (common gender) → definite: -en
• et-words (neuter) → definite: -et

felt is a neuter noun:

• et felt = a field
• feltet = the field

When you make the compound kommentarfelt, the last part (felt) decides the gender:

• et kommentarfelt = a comment field
• kommentarfeltet = the comment field

So the -et is the neuter definite ending for the whole compound.

Could you say Brukeren skriver i kommentarfeltet en kommentar instead?

That word order is grammatically possible but sounds unnatural in normal speech and writing.

Typical neutral word order in Norwegian is:

• Subject – Verb – (Object) – (Place/Time etc.)

A very common pattern is:

• Subject + Verb + Object + Place

So:

• Brukeren skriver en kommentar i kommentarfeltet.
  Subject = Brukeren
  Verb = skriver
  Object = en kommentar
  Place = i kommentarfeltet

Putting the place before the object (… i kommentarfeltet en kommentar) is usually only done for special emphasis or in poetic/marked language, not in a standard sentence like this.

How would I say this in the plural, like “Users write comments in the comment field”?

You need plural for bruker and kommentar, but you can keep kommentarfeltet singular (one specific field), or make that plural too, depending on meaning.

1. One specific comment field, many users and comments:

   • Brukere skriver kommentarer i kommentarfeltet.
     = Users write comments in the comment field.

2. Several comment fields (more general statement):

   • Brukere skriver kommentarer i kommentarfelt.
     = Users write comments in comment fields.

3. Both users and fields are definite and plural (more specific context):

   • Brukerne skriver kommentarene i kommentarfeltene.
     = The users write the comments in the comment fields.

Is kommentarfelt always written as one word in Norwegian?

Yes. In Norwegian, compound nouns are normally written as one word.

• kommentar + felt → kommentarfelt

Writing it as two words (kommentar felt) would be wrong, and could be confusing. When in doubt with noun + noun combinations, the default in Norwegian is usually to join them into one word.

How do you pronounce brukeren and kommentarfeltet?

Approximate pronunciations (in simple English-style notation):

• brukeren: BROO-keh-ren

  • bru like English brew (with a slightly shorter oo)
  • ke like keh
  • ren like ren in rental (Norwegian r is tapped/trilled)

• kommentarfeltet: ko-men-TAR-fel-tet

  • ko like co in coffee (short o)
  • men like English men
  • tar with a broad a, a bit like tar in British English
  • felt almost like English felt
  • et like a short et in et cetera

Exact sound and stress vary a bit by dialect, but this will be close enough to be understood.