Proviantlageret er lite, om enn nyttig.

Because Norwegian normally writes compound nouns as a single word.

Here you have:

• proviant = provisions, supplies
• lager = storage, stock, storehouse
• -et = the definite ending

So proviantlageret is one complete noun: the provisions store / the food-supply storage.

This is very common in Norwegian. Compare:

• bokhylle = bookshelf
• matlager = food storage / food stock
• vinterjakke = winter jacket

Writing compounds as separate words in Norwegian is often considered a spelling mistake.

-et is the definite article ending for a singular neuter noun.

The basic noun is:

• et lager = a storage room / a store / a stock

In the definite form, it becomes:

• lageret = the storage room / the store / the stock

So Norwegian often puts the at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word the way English does.

A quick comparison:

• en bil → bilen
• et hus → huset
• et lager → lageret

So proviantlageret literally contains the idea of the inside the word.

Because lager is a neuter noun, and the adjective has to agree with it.

The adjective liten is irregular:

• common gender singular: liten
• neuter singular: lite
• plural / definite: små

Since lager is neuter, you get:

• et lite lager = a small storage room
• lageret er lite = the storage room is small

A very important point: even though lageret is definite, the adjective after er is still in the normal predicate form, not the definite attributive form.

Compare:

• det lille lageret = the small storage room
• lageret er lite = the storage room is small

That difference is often confusing to learners.

Here it means small.

That is because lite is functioning as an adjective describing proviantlageret after the verb er.

So the structure is:

• Proviantlageret = subject
• er = is
• lite = small

Norwegian lite can also mean little / not much, but that is a different use. For example:

• Vi har lite mat = We have little food
• Han sover lite = He sleeps little

In your sentence, it clearly means small.

Om enn is a fixed expression meaning something like:

• although
• even if
• albeit

It introduces a concessive idea: something is true despite another point.

So the sentence says that the provisions store is small, while adding the concessive idea that it is still useful.

This expression is more typical of written or formal language than everyday speech.

It is the same written word, but here it is part of the fixed expression om enn, so you should understand the whole chunk together.

For comparison:

• større enn før = bigger than before
• om enn nyttig = although useful / albeit useful

So in this sentence, it is best not to translate enn by itself. Treat om enn as one unit.

Because nyttig is one of the adjectives that normally does not add an extra -t in the neuter singular in Bokmål.

So you get:

• en nyttig idé
• et nyttig verktøy
• verktøyet er nyttig

Not nyttigt.

Many adjectives ending in unstressed -ig behave this way, for example:

• viktig
• ferdig
• heldig

Also, in om enn nyttig, the adjective appears in a reduced, compact expression, and the plain form nyttig is exactly what you would expect.

If you wanted plural or a definite attributive form, then you would use:

• nyttige

For example:

• nyttige ting
• de nyttige redskapene

Because om enn nyttig is an added concessive comment attached to the main statement.

The main clause is:

• Proviantlageret er lite

Then the writer adds:

• om enn nyttig

The comma helps separate that extra comment from the core statement. In writing, this makes the sentence easier to read and gives it a slightly polished, literary rhythm.

It is understandable and grammatical, but it sounds somewhat formal or literary, mainly because of om enn and also because proviant is not an especially casual everyday word.

In more everyday Norwegian, you might hear something more like:

• Proviantlageret er lite, men nyttig.
• Matlageret er lite, men nyttig.

So the original sentence is perfectly good Norwegian, but it has a more written, slightly elevated style than ordinary conversation.

Yes. Proviant is understandable, but it can sound a bit old-fashioned, specialized, or literary depending on context.

A more everyday alternative is often:

• matlageret = the food store / the food stock

So a more ordinary-sounding version might be:

• Matlageret er lite, men nyttig.

That said, proviantlageret fits well in contexts like travel, ships, expeditions, military settings, survival situations, or older-style narrative prose.