Uansett hva hun lager, må veggtykkelsen være jevn.

Uansett hva means no matter what or whatever in this kind of sentence.

• uansett = regardless / anyway / in any case
• hva = what

So Uansett hva hun lager literally works like regardless of what she makes.

This is a very common pattern in Norwegian:

• Uansett hva du sier ... = no matter what you say ...
• Uansett hvor han går ... = no matter where he goes ...

Because hva hun lager is not a direct question. It is an embedded clause.

Compare:

• Direct question: Hva lager hun? = What is she making?
• Embedded clause: Jeg vet hva hun lager. = I know what she is making.
• Here: Uansett hva hun lager ... = No matter what she makes ...

In embedded clauses, Norwegian normally uses subject-before-verb order:

• hun lager not
• lager hun

This is because of the Norwegian V2 rule: in a main clause, the finite verb usually comes in the second position.

The sentence begins with the fronted clause Uansett hva hun lager. After that, the finite verb of the main clause must come next:

• Uansett hva hun lager, må veggtykkelsen være jevn.

If you remove the fronted clause, the normal order is:

• Veggtykkelsen må være jevn.

So the fronted part takes the first slot, and then må moves into the second slot.

Because Uansett hva hun lager is a subordinate clause placed before the main clause.

In Norwegian, it is standard to put a comma between a fronted subordinate clause and the main clause:

• Hvis det regner, blir vi hjemme.
• Når hun kommer, begynner vi.
• Uansett hva hun lager, må veggtykkelsen være jevn.

So the comma helps separate the two parts of the sentence.

Norwegian often uses the present tense in general statements, repeated situations, and rules, just like English often does.

Here, hun lager does not necessarily mean she is making something right now. It can mean:

• whatever she makes
• whatever she may make
• anything she makes

So the present tense is natural because the sentence expresses a general principle.

Veggtykkelsen is a compound noun plus the definite ending:

• vegg = wall
• tykkelse = thickness
• veggtykkelse = wall thickness
• veggtykkelsen = the wall thickness

Compound nouns are very common in Norwegian, and they are usually written as one word.

The definite form veggtykkelsen means the wall thickness.

Norwegian often uses the definite form where English might use either the or a more general expression, especially when talking about a specific feature in a process, design, or object under discussion.

So this sentence is talking about that relevant wall thickness as a known property:

• veggtykkelsen = the wall thickness

In some contexts, veggtykkelse could also work, but it would sound more general or more like a category term.

After modal verbs like må, kan, skal, vil, and bør, Norwegian uses the infinitive without å.

So:

• må være
• kan komme
• skal gjøre

Not:

• må å være

This is the same basic idea as English:

• must be
• can come
• will do

Because the adjective agrees with the noun it describes.

Here, veggtykkelsen is a singular common-gender noun, so the predicate adjective is:

• jevn

Compare:

• Veggtykkelsen er jevn.
• Gulvet er jevnt. (neuter singular)
• Flatene er jevne. (plural)

So jevn is the correct form with veggtykkelsen.

Here jevn means even, uniform, or consistent.

With veggtykkelse, it means the thickness should not vary from one place to another.

So it is about uniformity, not smoothness in the sense of a surface texture.

Depending on context, jevn can mean things like:

• even / uniform thickness
• steady / regular speed
• smooth / level surface

But in this sentence, uniform is the important idea.

Yes. That is also grammatical.

• Uansett hva hun lager, må veggtykkelsen være jevn.
• Veggtykkelsen må være jevn, uansett hva hun lager.

The difference is mainly emphasis.

Starting with Uansett hva hun lager gives stronger emphasis to the idea no matter what she makes. Starting with Veggtykkelsen må være jevn puts the requirement first.

No. Uansett can be used in several ways.

By itself:

• Jeg drar uansett. = I’m going anyway / in any case.

With question words:

• uansett hva = no matter what
• uansett hvor = no matter where
• uansett hvem = no matter who
• uansett hvordan = no matter how

So in this sentence, uansett is part of the pattern uansett hva ...

Yes. In this structure, hva does not just mean plain what. Together with uansett, it gives the sense of whatever / no matter what.

So:

• hva alone = what
• uansett hva = whatever / no matter what

This is a common thing in Norwegian: the larger expression determines the meaning more than the single word by itself.