Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Læreren peker på hver bokstav og sier hvordan vi skal stave navnet vårt. - The teacher points at each letter and says how we should spell our name.

The sentence is talking about a specific teacher in the situation, so Norwegian uses the definite form læreren to match the English the teacher.

What does peker på literally mean, and why do we need på?

The verb å peke means to point. In Norwegian, when you point at something, you normally say peke på noe (point at something).

So:

peker = points
peker på hver bokstav = points at each letter

The preposition på here corresponds to English at. You can’t normally drop it.

Why is it hver bokstav and not hvert bokstav?

Hver and hvert both mean each or every, but they must agree with the grammatical gender of the noun:

hver is used with masculine and feminine singular nouns
hvert is used with neuter singular nouns

Bokstav (letter) is a masculine noun, so you use hver bokstav. If the noun were neuter, like ord (word), you would say hvert ord (each word).

Why do we say hver bokstav (singular) instead of something like hver bokstaver (plural)?

In Norwegian, just like in English, hver / hvert is followed by a singular noun:

English: each letter, every student (not each letters)
Norwegian: hver bokstav, hver student

So hver automatically carries the meaning of “each one individually”, and the noun stays in the singular form.

What is the function of hvordan in sier hvordan vi skal stave navnet vårt?

Hvordan means how. Here it introduces an indirect question / subordinate clause:

Direct question: Hvordan skal vi stave navnet vårt? (How should we spell our name?)
Indirect question: Han sier hvordan vi skal stave navnet vårt. (He says how we should spell our name.)

So hvordan is working like English how in He tells us how to spell our name.

Why is the word order hvordan vi skal stave navnet vårt and not hvordan skal vi stave navnet vårt?

In a direct question, Norwegian uses inversion (verb before subject):

Hvordan skal vi stave navnet vårt? (How should we spell our name?)

But in an indirect question (a subordinate clause after verbs like si, vite, spørre), Norwegian uses normal clause word order (subject before verb):

Han sier hvordan vi skal stave navnet vårt.

So after hvordan in this indirect clause, you keep vi (subject) before skal (verb).

Why is skal used here: hvordan vi skal stave navnet vårt? Could we just say hvordan vi staver navnet vårt?

Skal can express:

Future (are going to)
Obligation/plan/instruction (are supposed to / should)

Here it has the sense of how we are supposed to / should spell our name.

You can also say hvordan vi staver navnet vårt. That sounds a bit more like a neutral description (how we spell our name in general), while skal stave emphasizes the instruction or the way we are to spell it. Both are grammatically correct; the nuance is slightly different.

Why is it sier hvordan ... and not forteller hvordan ...?

Both si and fortelle can involve giving information, but they are used a bit differently:

å si is more general: to say
å fortelle often has a clearer sense of to tell, to relate, sometimes something longer or more detailed

In this sentence, sier hvordan vi skal stave navnet vårt is perfectly natural because the teacher is simply saying/pronouncing/spelling something.

You could say Læreren forteller oss hvordan vi skal stave navnet vårt, but then you typically add an indirect object (oss) after forteller.

Why is there no til oss in Læreren peker på hver bokstav og sier hvordan vi skal stave navnet vårt?

The verb si can take a subordinate clause directly, without an explicit indirect object:

Han sier at det er riktig. (He says that it is correct.)
Hun sier hvordan vi skal gjøre det. (She says how we should do it.)

In context, it’s obvious that the teacher is speaking to the students, so Norwegian doesn’t need to add til oss. You could add it for emphasis:

Læreren sier til oss hvordan vi skal stave navnet vårt.

But it’s not required.

What does navnet vårt literally mean, and why is the possessive after the noun?

navn = name (neuter noun)
navnet = the name (definite form)
vårt = our (for neuter singular)

Norwegian has two main patterns for possessives:

Possessive after the definite noun:
- navnet vårt = our name (literally the name our)
Possessive before an indefinite noun:
- vårt navn = our name

Navnet vårt is very common and neutral in everyday speech. Vårt navn sounds a bit more formal or stylistic. Both are correct, but they’re not always interchangeable in every context.

Why is it vårt and not våre in navnet vårt?

The possessive vår has different forms depending on gender and number of the noun:

vår – masculine/feminine singular
vårt – neuter singular
våre – all plural nouns

Navn is a neuter noun, and here it’s singular (navnet), so we use vårt:

vårt navn, navnet vårt = our name
våre navn = our names

Could we say stavet navnet vårt instead of skal stave navnet vårt?

Stavet is the past participle/past form (spelled). That would change the meaning:

hvordan vi skal stave navnet vårt = how we should spell our name (instruction, present/future)
hvordan vi stavet navnet vårt = how we spelled our name (in the past)

So skal stave is correct for an instruction the teacher is giving now. Stavet would only be used if you were referring to something that has already happened.

How do you pronounce Læreren peker på hver bokstav og sier hvordan vi skal stave navnet vårt?

Key pronunciation points (standard Eastern Norwegian):

æ in læreren: like the a in English cat, but a bit tenser.
-eren in læreren: roughly -eh-ren, with a tapped/flapped r.
peker: pe- like peh, -ker like kehr (again with a tapped r).
hvordan: the h is silent; sounds like vordan.
skal: short a, like the u in cut, but slightly more open.
stave: sta- with a broad a, -ve like veh.
navnet: nav- like nav in navy (short a), -net like net.
vårt: å like the o in born (British) or law; the rt is often a retroflex sound (tongue curled back), blending r and t.

Putting it together smoothly is more important than perfect individual sounds; listen to native audio if possible and imitate the rhythm and melody.