På dansekurset lærer vi pardans.

På dansekurset means at the dance course / in dance class.

Norwegian often uses på for activities, courses, school contexts, events, and places where something is happening. So even though English might say in dance class, Norwegian commonly says på dansekurset.

Compare:

• på skolen = at school
• på kurset = on the course / at the course
• på festen = at the party

So på here is the natural preposition, not a literal on.

Because dansekurset is the definite form: the dance course.

The base noun is:

• et kurs = a course

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun:

• et kurs = a course
• kurset = the course

Since dansekurs is a compound noun, the same thing happens:

• et dansekurs = a dance course
• dansekurset = the dance course

So På dansekurset literally means At the dance course.

Because kurs is a neuter noun: et kurs.

For many neuter nouns, the definite singular ending is -et:

• et hus → huset
• et barn → barnet
• et kurs → kurset

So:

• et dansekurs = a dance course
• dansekurset = the dance course

Here, lærer is a verb, from å lære = to learn or sometimes to teach, depending on context.

In this sentence:

• vi lærer = we learn

This can be confusing because lærer can also be a noun:

• en lærer = a teacher

So the meaning depends on grammar:

• En lærer snakker. = A teacher is speaking.
• Vi lærer pardans. = We learn partner dancing.

Because Norwegian uses verb-second word order in main clauses.

If a sentence starts with something other than the subject, the finite verb usually comes next.

Normal order:

• Vi lærer pardans på dansekurset.

But when På dansekurset is moved to the front for emphasis, the verb must come second:

• På dansekurset lærer vi pardans.

So the structure is:

1. På dansekurset
2. lærer
3. vi
4. pardans

This is a very important Norwegian pattern.

Yes. That is also correct.

The two versions mean basically the same thing, but the emphasis is a little different:

• Vi lærer pardans på dansekurset.
  More neutral word order: We learn partner dancing in dance class.

• På dansekurset lærer vi pardans.
  Starts by highlighting the setting: At the dance course, we learn partner dancing.

Both are natural.

Pardans is a compound noun:

• par = pair, couple
• dans = dance

So pardans means partner dancing / couple dancing.

It refers to dancing done in pairs, such as ballroom-type dancing.

Like many Norwegian compound nouns, it is written as one word.

Because pardans is being used as a general activity or subject, not as one specific dance.

This is similar to English:

• We learn math
• We study history
• We learn partner dancing

In Norwegian, you often do not use an article with this kind of noun:

• Vi lærer norsk.
• Hun studerer historie.
• Vi lærer pardans.

If you were talking about a specific dance or a specific form, the sentence might be different.

Often, yes.

In Vi lærer pardans, the thing being learned comes directly after the verb.

Common patterns include:

• lære noe = learn something
  
  • Vi lærer pardans.
• lære å + infinitive = learn to do something
  
  • Vi lærer å danse. = We are learning to dance.

So both are possible, but they mean slightly different things:

• lære pardans = learn partner dancing
• lære å danse = learn how to dance

A rough guide for an English speaker would be:

poh DAHN-seh-kur-set LEH-rer vee PAHR-dahns

A few notes:

• På has a long vowel, roughly like paw.
• danse sounds roughly like DAHN-seh.
• kurset has u that may be difficult for English speakers; it is not exactly like English oo.
• lærer has the Norwegian æ, a bit like the vowel in cat, but not exactly the same.
• r pronunciation depends on dialect.

If you want, I can also give you a more detailed pronunciation breakdown word by word.

By itself, lærer is present tense, so it can describe something happening now, regularly, or as part of an ongoing course.

So På dansekurset lærer vi pardans could mean:

• In dance class, we are learning partner dancing
• In dance class, we learn partner dancing

The exact interpretation depends on context. Norwegian present tense is often used where English might use either simple present or present continuous.

Yes, very normal.

Norwegian makes compound nouns very freely, and they are usually written as one word.

Here:

• dans = dance
• kurs = course
• dansekurs = dance course

Notice that the first part becomes danse- in the compound. This is common in Norwegian compounds.

Other examples:

• språkkurs = language course
• sommerkurs = summer course
• dansekveld = dance evening

So if you see a long noun in Norwegian, it is often a compound.

Only literally, not naturally.

Word-for-word, på often corresponds to on, but in this sentence the natural English translation is at or in:

• På dansekurset = At the dance course / In dance class

This is a good example of why prepositions should usually be learned by usage, not by one fixed English equivalent.