Det er altfor sent.

Here det works as a dummy subject, just like it in English sentences such as It is late or It is raining.

It does not have to refer to a specific object. Norwegian usually wants a subject in a full sentence, so det is used even when the sentence is talking about a general situation.

Er is the present tense of å være, which means to be.

A useful thing for English speakers: Norwegian verbs do not change depending on the subject.

• jeg er = I am
• du er = you are
• han er = he is
• vi er = we are

So er is the same for everyone.

Altfor means far too or much too. It makes the sentence stronger than just for.

Compare:

• Det er sent. = It is late.
• Det er for sent. = It is too late.
• Det er altfor sent. = It is far too late / much too late.

So altfor adds extra emphasis.

Yes. In this meaning, altfor is normally written as one word.

It functions as an intensifying adverb before an adjective or adverb:

• altfor dyr = far too expensive
• altfor vanskelig = far too difficult
• altfor sent = far too late

If you wrote alt for as two words, it would usually mean something else.

Sen is the basic adjective form, but sent is the neuter form, and it is also the form used adverbially.

With det er ..., Norwegian often uses the neuter form of the adjective, especially when det is this kind of dummy subject.

Compare:

• Bussen er sen. = The bus is late.
• Toget er sent. = The train is late.
• Det er sent. = It is late.

So in Det er altfor sent, sent is the normal and correct form.

No. Sent by itself just means late.

The idea of too late comes from for or altfor:

• sent = late
• for sent = too late
• altfor sent = far too late

So the adjective sent does not carry the too meaning on its own.

In a normal statement, Det er altfor sent is the standard order:

• Det = subject
• er = verb
• altfor = adverb
• sent = adjective

If you make it a yes/no question, the verb comes first:

• Er det altfor sent? = Is it far too late?

If you move another element to the front, Norwegian still keeps the verb in second position:

• Nå er det altfor sent. = Now it is far too late.

This is part of the usual Norwegian V2 word order in main clauses.

Normally, no. In a full standard sentence, you would say Det er altfor sent, not just Er altfor sent.

In very informal speech, people sometimes drop words in context, but for correct standard Norwegian, keep det.

In careful pronunciation, it is something like:

det er altfor sent

But in everyday speech, many speakers reduce det er so it sounds more like:

de er or de e

So the whole sentence may sound roughly like:

de e altfor sent

A few helpful pronunciation notes:

• the t in det is often weak or silent in speech
• altfor has clear stress on the first part
• sent has a long vowel sound

So if you want a practical learner version, de e ALT-for sent is a decent approximation for casual spoken Norwegian.