Dette mediet virker bedre enn det gamle.

This medium works better than the old one.

Breakdown of Dette mediet virker bedre enn det gamle.

• dette: this
• gammel: old
• bedre: better
• enn: than
• virke: to work
• det: the one
• mediet: the medium

Questions & Answers about Dette mediet virker bedre enn det gamle.

Why is it dette mediet and not denne mediet?

Norwegian has different demonstratives depending on gender:

• denne = this (common gender: en-words)
• dette = this (neuter: et-words)
• disse = these (plural)

The noun medium is neuter: et medium. In the definite singular it becomes mediet. Because it is neuter, you must use dette:

• et medium → dette mediet = this medium
• If it were a common gender noun, you’d use denne instead, e.g. denne boken (this book).

What is the difference between medium and mediet?

They are different forms of the same noun:

• et medium = a medium (indefinite singular)
• mediet = the medium (definite singular)

In Norwegian, you usually mark definiteness on the noun with a suffix:

• medium → mediet (the medium)
• bok → boken / boka (the book)
• hus → huset (the house)

So dette mediet literally means this the-medium, which in normal English is simply this medium.

What does virker mean here, and how is it different from fungerer?

The verb virke has a couple of common meanings:

1. to function, to work (do its job properly)
   
   • Medisinen virker. = The medicine works.
2. to seem, to appear (as)
   
   • Han virker hyggelig. = He seems nice.

In Dette mediet virker bedre enn det gamle, the meaning is to function / to work.

You can often replace virker with fungerer when you mean works/functions:

• Dette mediet fungerer bedre enn det gamle.

Both are natural here. Fungerer sounds a bit more technical or mechanical; virker is slightly broader and more idiomatic in many contexts.

Could virker here mean seems instead of works?

In isolation, virker can mean seems (virker som = seems like). But in this specific sentence:

• Dette mediet virker bedre enn det gamle.

most native speakers will interpret virker as works / functions better. If you clearly want seems, you would normally say:

• Dette mediet virker å være bedre enn det gamle.
• Dette mediet ser ut til å være bedre enn det gamle.

Without those extra words, virker bedre + a comparison strongly suggests functions better.

Why is it bedre and not something like mer bra?

Bedre is the irregular comparative form of god (good):

• god = good
• bedre = better
• best = best

You do not say mer bra for better. You must use bedre:

• Dette mediet er bra. = This medium is good.
• Dette mediet er bedre. = This medium is better.

So virker bedre enn = works better than.

What is enn, and how is it different from en?

This is a very common confusion:

• enn (with double n) is a conjunction meaning than in comparisons.

  • bedre enn = better than
  • større enn = bigger than

• en (single n) is:

  • the indefinite article for common gender nouns = a/an
    
    • en bil = a car
  • also the numeral one in many contexts.

In Dette metidet virker bedre enn det gamle, you must use enn because you are making a comparison: better than the old one.

Why is it det gamle and not den gamle?

Det and den are the singular forms of that/the as pronouns or demonstratives:

• den for common gender (en-words)
• det for neuter (et-words)

The noun we are talking about is et medium (neuter), so its corresponding pronoun is det:

• Dette mediet virker bedre enn det gamle (mediet).

Here, det gamle stands for det gamle mediet (the old medium). Because medium is neuter:

• singular, neuter ⇒ det (not den).

Why is the adjective form gamle here and not gammelt or gammel?

The adjective gammel (old) has several forms:

• gammel – indefinite singular (common gender)
  
  • en gammel bil = an old car
• gammelt – indefinite singular (neuter)
  
  • et gammelt hus = an old house
• gamle – plural indefinite, and all definite forms
  
  • gamle biler = old cars
  • det gamle huset = the old house
  • den gamle bilen = the old car

In det gamle (mediet) the noun phrase is definite (the old medium), so you must use gamle, even though the noun is neuter. Definite + any gender → gamle.

So:

• et gammelt medium = an old medium (indefinite, neuter)
• det gamle mediet = the old medium (definite, neuter)
• Shortened: det gamle (the old one).

Why can the word mediet be left out after det gamle?

Norwegian, like English, often omits a repeated noun when it is obvious from context. The full version would be:

• Dette mediet virker bedre enn det gamle mediet.

Because mediet is already mentioned, you can drop it in the second part and just say:

• Dette mediet virker bedre enn det gamle.

Here det gamle is understood as det gamle mediet = the old medium / the old one. This is very natural and common.

Is the word order fixed? Can I move bedre or enn det gamle around?

In this sentence the natural word order is:

• Dette mediet (subject)
• virker (verb)
• bedre (comparative adverb)
• enn det gamle (comparison phrase)

You cannot rearrange these freely. For example:

• ✗ Dette mediet virker enn det gamle bedre. (incorrect)
• ✗ Dette mediet bedre virker enn det gamle. (incorrect)

The comparative adverb bedre normally comes right after the verb, and enn + phrase follows the comparative:

• virker bedre enn det gamle

Could I say Dette mediet er bedre enn det gamle instead? What is the difference?

Yes, you can say:

• Dette mediet er bedre enn det gamle.

Difference in nuance:

• virker bedre focuses on how it functions / performs.
  
  • It works better than the old one.
• er bedre is a broader, more general statement of quality.
  
  • It is better than the old one (could include many aspects, not only how it functions).

In many contexts they may overlap, but virker bedre keeps the focus on performance or effect.

How would I say These media work better than the old ones?

You’d make both the demonstrative and the noun plural:

• Disse mediene virker bedre enn de gamle.

Breakdown:

• disse = these (plural)
• medier / mediene = media / the media (plural of medium)
  
  • mediene is definite plural: the media
• de gamle = the old ones (plural pronoun + adjective in definite form)

So:

• Disse mediene virker bedre enn de gamle.
  = These media work/function better than the old ones.

How do you pronounce the key words in Dette mediet virker bedre enn det gamle?

Approximate pronunciation (Bokmål, standard-ish, using English-like hints):

• dette ≈ DET-teh
• mediet ≈ MEH-dee-eh (the t is often very light or almost silent at the end)
• virker ≈ VEER-ker (rolled or tapped r)
• bedre ≈ BED-reh (the d can be quite soft)
• enn ≈ en (short e, like men without m)
• det ≈ deh
• gamle ≈ GAM-leh (short a, like in cup but a bit more open)

Word stress is on the first syllable in all of these.