Vi bruker vannkannen selv når hageslangen er ødelagt.

Because Norwegian very often makes compound nouns by joining words together.

• vannkanne = vann
  • kanne
• hageslange = hage
  • slange

This is much more common in Norwegian than in English. Where English may write two words or use a phrase, Norwegian often prefers one compound word.

So a learner should get used to seeing long nouns built this way.

The ending -en marks the definite singular form, roughly like the in English.

• en hageslange = a garden hose

• hageslangen = the garden hose

• en vannkanne = a watering can
• vannkannen = the watering can

So instead of putting a separate word like the before the noun, Norwegian usually adds the definiteness to the end of the noun.

This is a very common Bokmål question.

Many feminine nouns in Bokmål can be treated in two ways:

• with feminine forms: ei vannkanne, vannkanna
• with common-gender or masculine-style forms: en vannkanne, vannkannen

Both are possible in many contexts. This sentence uses vannkannen, which is perfectly normal Bokmål.

So for vannkanne, you may see either:

• ei vannkanne / vannkanna
• en vannkanne / vannkannen

By contrast, hageslange is normally treated as en hageslange / hageslangen.

Selv når means even when.

• når on its own means when
• selv når adds emphasis and means even when

So the sentence is not just saying that something happens when the hose is broken. It is saying that this is true even in that situation.

That little word selv adds the idea of surprise, contrast, or emphasis.

Sometimes yes, but they are not exactly the same.

• selv når = even when
• selv om = even though / although

In this sentence, selv når focuses on a situation or condition that can occur:

• even when the garden hose is broken

If you used selv om, the meaning would shift slightly toward concession:

• even though the garden hose is broken

Both can make sense, but selv når fits especially well if the idea is something like a repeated or general situation.

Because after når, Norwegian uses subordinate clause word order.

The normal order is:

• conjunction
• subject
• verb

So:

• når hageslangen er ødelagt

That is the normal pattern.

Inversion such as er hageslangen is typical of main clauses, not ordinary subordinate clauses introduced by words like når, fordi, at, and hvis.

Ødelagt here works like an adjective or past participle meaning broken, damaged, or not working.

So:

• er ødelagt = is broken or is damaged

This is very similar to English:

• The hose is broken

So grammatically, er is the verb to be, and ødelagt describes the condition or state of the hose.

Yes, very often.

• hageslangen er ødelagt
• hageslangen er i stykker

Both can mean that the hose is broken.

A rough difference:

• ødelagt can mean generally damaged, ruined, or broken
• i stykker often sounds a bit more like physically broken or not functioning

In everyday speech, er i stykker is extremely common.

Yes. Bruker is the present tense of å bruke, meaning to use.

So:

• vi bruker = we use

In Norwegian, the present tense often covers:

• a general fact
• a habit
• something that is typically done
• sometimes even something happening now, depending on context

So this sentence sounds like a general statement or routine:

• this is what we do when that situation happens

Yes, absolutely.

You can say:

• Selv når hageslangen er ødelagt, bruker vi vannkannen.

This is very natural.

Notice what happens in the main clause after the fronted clause:

• bruker vi
• not vi bruker

That is because Norwegian main clauses follow the verb-second pattern. When the subordinate clause comes first, it takes the first position, and the finite verb comes next.

Because Norwegian usually expresses definiteness by adding an ending to the noun itself.

So instead of:

• the watering can
• the garden hose

Norwegian uses:

• vannkannen
• hageslangen

This is one of the biggest structural differences from English. English puts the article before the noun, while Norwegian often attaches definiteness directly to the noun.

Yes, this sentence is standard Bokmål.

A learner might especially notice vannkannen, since Bokmål allows some variation with feminine nouns. In a different Bokmål style, you could also see vannkanna.

But the sentence as given is completely standard and natural Bokmål.