Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Som et enkelt eksempel viser læreren hvordan to bokstaver kan stave to helt ulike ord. - As a simple example the teacher shows how two letters can spell two completely different words.

So som introduces a kind of comparison/role: we are presenting something in the role of an example. Putting som et enkelt eksempel first is a stylistic choice; it emphasizes that what follows is just an example.

You could also say:

Læreren viser, som et enkelt eksempel, hvordan ...

but the original word order is more natural and fluent.

Why is it et enkelt eksempel and not en enkel eksempel?

Because eksempel is a neuter noun in Norwegian.

Indefinite article:
- en = for masculine nouns
- ei (or en) = for feminine nouns
- et = for neuter nouns

Eksempel is neuter, so you must use et:

et eksempel = a(n) example

The adjective must agree with a neuter singular noun in the indefinite form, so it takes -t:

en enkel test (masculine/feminine)
ei enkel oppgave (feminine)
et enkelt eksempel (neuter)

So et enkelt eksempel is the only correct form here.

What is the difference between enkel, enkelt, and enkle?

They are different forms of the same adjective enkel (simple, easy), and they change according to gender and number.

As an adjective before a noun:

Masculine / feminine, singular, indefinite:
- en enkel oppgave (a simple task)
Neuter, singular, indefinite:
- et enkelt eksempel (a simple example)
All genders, plural, indefinite:
- enkle oppgaver (simple tasks)
- enkle eksempler (simple examples)
Definite (all genders, singular and plural):
- den enkle oppgaven
- det enkle eksemplet
- de enkle oppgavene
- de enkle eksemplene

So:

enkel = base form for masc./fem. singular
enkelt = neuter singular
enkle = plural and all definite forms

Why is the word order viser læreren instead of læreren viser?

Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in second position in the sentence.

The first element here is the whole phrase Som et enkelt eksempel. That counts as position 1. Then the verb must come in position 2, so we get:

Som et enkelt eksempel
viser
læreren
hvordan ...

If you start the sentence with the subject instead, you can say:

Læreren viser, som et enkelt eksempel, hvordan ...

There the subject læreren is in first position, so the verb viser is still in second position. The important thing is: in a main clause, the verb must be second, not necessarily the subject.

What exactly does læreren mean here, and how is definiteness formed?

Læreren means the teacher.

Norwegian usually marks definiteness with a suffix on the noun, not a separate word like English the:

en lærer = a teacher
læreren = the teacher
lærere = teachers
lærerne = the teachers

You do not need an extra den here. Den læreren would sound like that teacher or this particular teacher, more demonstrative or emphatic.

So in this sentence:

viser læreren = the teacher shows

In hvordan to bokstaver kan stave ..., why does kan come after to bokstaver?

Because hvordan to bokstaver kan stave ... is a subordinate clause (it is introduced by hvordan), and subordinate clauses in Norwegian have normal subject–verb order (S–V), not the V2 rule of main clauses.

So the word order is:

hvordan (subordinating word / question word)
to bokstaver (subject)
kan (verb)
stave to helt ulike ord (rest of the predicate)

In a main clause, after a fronted element, you would often see verb before subject:

Da kan to bokstaver stave ... (main clause: V2, kan before to bokstaver)

But after hvordan, which introduces an embedded how-clause, you use subject before verb.

What does hvordan mean here, and how is it different from at or om?

Hvordan means how, just like in English.

Here it introduces an indirect question or content clause explaining in what way the teacher is showing something:

viser læreren hvordan ...
= the teacher shows how ...

Compare:

at = that (introduces a statement)
- Læreren viser at to bokstaver kan stave ord.
  = The teacher shows that two letters can spell words.
om = if / whether (yes–no content clause)
- Læreren spør om to bokstaver kan stave ord.
  = The teacher asks if two letters can spell words.
hvordan = how (manner / way)
- Læreren viser hvordan to bokstaver kan stave to helt ulike ord.
  = The teacher shows how two letters can spell two completely different words.

So hvordan is used because the sentence is about the way in which the letters can spell words.

What does stave mean, and how is it different from skrive?

Stave means to spell (to put letters together in the correct order for a word).

Skrive means to write (to produce text, letters, words on paper or a screen, or by hand).

Examples:

Hvordan staver du navnet ditt?
= How do you spell your name?
Barnet lærer å stave enkle ord.
= The child is learning to spell simple words.
Jeg skriver en e‑post.
= I am writing an email.

In the sentence:

to bokstaver kan stave to helt ulike ord
= two letters can spell two completely different words

Here the focus is on how the combination of letters forms different words, so stave is the right verb.

In to helt ulike ord, why is it ulike with -e, while earlier we had enkelt with -t?

This is again adjective agreement, but now for plural instead of neuter singular.

enkelt in et enkelt eksempel:
- eksempel is neuter, singular, indefinite → adjective takes -t: enkelt
ulike in to helt ulike ord:
- ord is neuter, but it is plural (because of to, two)
- In plural, the adjective takes -e for all genders:
  - to ulike ord (two different words)
  - to ulike bøker (two different books)
  - to ulike biler (two different cars)

So:

Neuter singular: et enkelt eksempel, et ulikt ord
Plural: to enkle eksempler, to ulike ord

The presence of to forces the noun into plural, and the adjective must follow that.

What does helt mean here, and why is it placed before ulike?

Helt here is an adverb meaning completely, totally, entirely.

ulike ord = different words
helt ulike ord = completely different words

As an adverb intensifier, helt is invariable (it does not change form) and normally goes before the adjective it modifies:

helt ny = completely new
helt sikker = completely sure
helt enig = completely agreed
to helt ulike ord = two completely different words

You could also use veldig (very) or ganske (quite), but the nuance changes:

to veldig ulike ord = two very different words
to ganske ulike ord = two quite / fairly different words

Helt suggests a stronger, more absolute difference.

What is the difference between ulike and forskjellige? Could we say to helt forskjellige ord instead?

Yes, you could say to helt forskjellige ord, and it would be perfectly natural.

Both ulik(e) and forskjellig(e) can mean different, not the same.

Rough tendencies:

ulik can sometimes sound a bit more formal or neutral, often used in written language and in more abstract contexts:
- ulike teorier = different theories
- ulike synspunkter = different viewpoints
forskjellig is very common in everyday speech:
- forskjellige land = different countries
- forskjellige mennesker = different people

But in many contexts they are interchangeable. In this sentence:

to helt ulike ord
to helt forskjellige ord

both are fine and mean two completely different words.

Could the sentence be reordered as Læreren viser som et enkelt eksempel hvordan ... and is that equally natural?

Yes, that word order is grammatically correct, but it has a slightly different feel.

Original:

Som et enkelt eksempel viser læreren hvordan ...
→ Emphasizes that what follows is an example. The example phrase is fronted.

Alternative:

Læreren viser som et enkelt eksempel hvordan ...
→ Starts by focusing on the teacher and the action viser, and then adds som et enkelt eksempel as extra information (almost like a parenthetical).

Both are acceptable, but the original version sounds a bit more textbook-like or expository, placing more weight on the example itself.