Vi ser sammenhengen.

• Vi = we
• ser = see / are seeing
• sammenhengen = the connection, the relationship, or sometimes the context

So grammatically, it is:

• subject: Vi
• verb: ser
• object: sammenhengen

In Norwegian, verbs do not change according to the subject the way they do in English.

So you get:

• jeg ser = I see
• du ser = you see
• han ser = he sees
• vi ser = we see

The form ser is the present tense of å se = to see.

The -en is the definite article attached to the noun.

In English, you say the connection with a separate word, the.
In Norwegian, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun:

• en sammenheng = a connection
• sammenhengen = the connection

So -en here means the.

Because Norwegian usually marks definiteness by adding an ending to the noun instead of using a separate article.

So:

• the connection → sammenhengen

You normally do not say den sammenhengen unless there is a special reason, such as emphasis or a structure with an adjective:

• den tydelige sammenhengen = the clear connection

Without an adjective, sammenhengen by itself is the normal form.

The basic dictionary form is sammenheng.

You will usually learn it like this:

• en sammenheng = a connection
• sammenhengen = the connection

So the noun is sammenheng, and the sentence uses its definite singular form.

Sammenheng is a masculine noun in Bokmål.

That is why its forms are:

• en sammenheng
• sammenhengen

This is useful because noun gender affects articles and endings.

It can mean either, depending on context.

In many cases, Vi ser sammenhengen is understood figuratively:

• We see the connection
• We understand how things are connected

This is very similar to English, where see can also mean understand.

The difference is definite vs. indefinite:

• Vi ser sammenhengen = We see the connection
  A specific connection, often one already known or mentioned.

• Vi ser en sammenheng = We see a connection
  Some connection, not necessarily a specific one already established.

So the sentence with sammenhengen sounds more definite and specific.

Yes. The normal word order in a simple Norwegian statement is:

• Subject + verb + object

So:

• Vi
  • ser
    • sammenhengen

That is the most neutral and natural order.

You can change the order for emphasis, but then Norwegian follows the verb-second rule. For example:

• Sammenhengen ser vi.

That is possible, but much less neutral than Vi ser sammenhengen.

Yes. Depending on context, sammenheng can mean things like:

• connection
• relationship
• coherence
• context

So Vi ser sammenhengen might mean not just we see the connection, but more broadly we understand how it all fits together.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• Vi sounds like vee
• ser sounds roughly like sehr (but with a Norwegian r)
• sammenhengen is roughly SAM-men-heng-en

A few helpful points:

• The stress is mainly on the first syllable: SAMmenhengen
• ng in heng is like the ng sound in English sing
• The double mm in sammen helps make the vowel before it short

Yes, and that would mean We understand the connection/context.

The difference is nuance:

• Vi ser sammenhengen can mean we see or we understand
• Vi forstår sammenhengen is more explicitly we understand

So ser is slightly more idiomatic and can sound more natural in some contexts, especially when talking about noticing how things fit together.