Hun snakker med arbeidsgiveren når det gjelder omsorgspermisjonen.

Because Norwegian usually puts the definite article on the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

• arbeidsgiver = employer

• arbeidsgiveren = the employer

• omsorgspermisjon = care leave / caregiving leave
• omsorgspermisjonen = the care leave

So the endings -en here are doing the job that the does in English.

Norwegian, like German, very often makes compound nouns by joining words together.

Here:

• omsorg = care
• permisjon = leave

So omsorgspermisjon is a compound noun. This is completely normal in Norwegian. English often writes similar ideas as two words, but Norwegian usually joins them into one.

The -s- in the middle is a linking sound that commonly appears in compounds.

Når det gjelder is a very common fixed expression meaning something like:

• when it comes to
• regarding
• as for
• with regard to

So in this sentence, it introduces the topic being discussed: omsorgspermisjonen.

Even though når often means when, this whole expression is usually best learned as one chunk.

Literally, yes, but in practice the whole phrase når det gjelder works idiomatically and does not usually express time here.

So this is not mainly about when something happens. It is about the topic or subject matter.

A learner should usually understand når det gjelder as a set phrase rather than analyzing it word by word every time.

Snakke med means to speak with / talk with, so it suggests a conversation or discussion.

• snakke med noen = talk with someone
• snakke til noen = speak to someone

In this sentence, snakker med arbeidsgiveren sounds natural because she is having a discussion with the employer, not just addressing them one-way.

Norwegian does not always make possession explicit when the context already makes it clear.

So arbeidsgiveren literally means the employer, but in context it can naturally be understood as her employer.

If you wanted to make it explicit, you could say something like:

• Hun snakker med arbeidsgiveren sin
• Hun snakker med sin arbeidsgiver

But the original sentence is normal if the context already shows whose employer it is.

Snakker is the present tense of å snakke.

Norwegian often uses the present tense in situations where English also uses the present:

• Hun snakker med arbeidsgiveren = She talks / is talking with the employer

Without more context, the present tense can describe:

• a current action
• a habitual action
• a general situation

So the exact English translation depends on context, but the Norwegian form itself is just the normal present tense.

The sentence follows the normal Norwegian main-clause pattern:

Hun + snakker + med arbeidsgiveren + når det gjelder omsorgspermisjonen

So:

• Hun = subject
• snakker = verb
• med arbeidsgiveren = prepositional phrase
• når det gjelder omsorgspermisjonen = expression showing the topic

If you move the last part to the front, Norwegian uses normal V2 word order:

• Når det gjelder omsorgspermisjonen, snakker hun med arbeidsgiveren.

Notice that the verb snakker still stays in second position.

Yes, often you could say:

• Hun snakker med arbeidsgiveren om omsorgspermisjonen.

That is very natural and probably a bit more direct.

The difference is mainly nuance:

• snakker ... om ... = talks about ...
• når det gjelder ... = when it comes to / regarding ...

The original sentence sounds slightly more formal or topic-focused.

In når det gjelder, det is part of the fixed structure. It functions like a dummy subject, similar to how English sometimes uses it in expressions such as when it comes to.

So it is best to learn the full phrase:

• når det gjelder

rather than trying to build it from scratch each time.

The definite form suggests a specific leave that is already known in the conversation or situation.

So:

• omsorgspermisjon = care leave in general
• omsorgspermisjonen = the specific care leave they are discussing

That is why the definite form sounds natural here: it is not just the general concept, but a particular case.

Yes, in standard Bokmål, arbeidsgiveren is the normal definite singular form.

The pattern is:

• en arbeidsgiver = an employer
• arbeidsgiveren = the employer

This is a very common pattern for nouns of this type.

It sounds mostly neutral to slightly formal.

The main reason is the phrase når det gjelder, which is common and natural but a bit more formal than simply saying om.

Compare:

• Hun snakker med arbeidsgiveren om omsorgspermisjonen. → more straightforward, everyday
• Hun snakker med arbeidsgiveren når det gjelder omsorgspermisjonen. → a bit more formal or administrative in tone

Because the topic is workplace leave, the slightly formal tone fits well.