Arbeidshanskene brukes sammen med refleksvesten.

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of standing as a separate word.

• arbeidshanskene = the work gloves
• refleksvesten = the reflective vest

So:

• -ene marks definite plural
• -en marks definite singular for many masculine nouns

This is one of the biggest differences from English.

The basic forms are:

• en arbeidshanske = a work glove
• en refleksvest = a reflective vest

From there:

• arbeidshanske → arbeidshansker = work gloves
• arbeidshansker → arbeidshanskene = the work gloves
• refleksvest → refleksvesten = the reflective vest

So the sentence uses:

• one noun in definite plural
• one noun in definite singular

Because Norwegian normally writes compound nouns as a single word.

So:

• arbeid + hanske → arbeidshanske
• refleks + vest → refleksvest

English often writes these as two words, but Norwegian usually joins them.

Also, in arbeidshanske, you can see a linking -s-, which is very common in Norwegian compounds. You do not always predict it perfectly from logic alone, so it is often best to learn compounds as complete words.

Brukes is the passive form of å bruke = to use.

• bruker = uses / use
• brukes = is used / are used

So Arbeidshanskene brukes ... literally means The work gloves are used ...

This -s passive is very common in instructions, regulations, manuals, and formal descriptions.

Because Norwegian verbs do not change for person or number in the present tense.

Compare:

• jeg bruker
• du bruker
• vi bruker
• hanskene brukes

The active form stays the same for all subjects, and the passive -s form also stays the same. Unlike English, Norwegian does not have a contrast like I use vs he uses.

They are very close, but not always identical in tone.

• brukes = passive -s form
• blir brukt = another passive construction, literally becomes used / is being used

In many practical sentences, both can work:

• Arbeidshanskene brukes sammen med refleksvesten
• Arbeidshanskene blir brukt sammen med refleksvesten

But brukes often sounds a bit more concise, general, and typical of written instructions or rules.

Sammen med means together with or along with.

So it emphasizes that the gloves are used in combination with the reflective vest.

You could sometimes use just med, but the nuance is slightly different:

• med = with
• sammen med = together with, in combination with

In a safety or equipment context, sammen med makes it clearer that both items belong together in use.

Because the sentence is referring to:

• the gloves = plural
• the vest = singular

That is perfectly natural. Gloves normally come as a pair, so Norwegian often uses the plural when talking about them as an item of equipment.

So the idea is not strange at all: one vest, one pair of gloves.

It can easily sound like an instruction or rule.

In Norwegian, the present tense passive is often used in:

• manuals
• safety instructions
• workplace routines
• official guidelines

So depending on context, brukes may feel like:

• are used
• should be used
• must be used

The sentence itself is grammatically just present passive, but context can make it sound instructional.

No, this is very standard Norwegian word order:

• Arbeidshanskene = subject
• brukes = verb
• sammen med refleksvesten = prepositional phrase

So the pattern is basically:

Subject + Verb + Other information

That said, Norwegian is a V2 language, which means the finite verb normally comes in the second position. If you move another element to the front, the verb still stays second:

• Sammen med refleksvesten brukes arbeidshanskene

That version is more marked or formal, but it is grammatical.

No. Norwegian common nouns are not normally capitalized.

Here, Arbeidshanskene is capitalized only because it is the first word of the sentence.

In the middle of a sentence, it would be:

• arbeidshanskene
• refleksvesten

So Norwegian behaves like English here, not like German.

You could understand it that way literally, but in natural English it is usually better to say:

• reflective vest
• high-visibility vest
• hi-vis vest

So refleksvest refers to a safety vest designed to be easily seen, often with reflective material.

A fully indefinite version would be something like:

• Arbeidshansker brukes sammen med en refleksvest

That means something like Work gloves are used together with a reflective vest or Work gloves are used with a reflective vest in a general sense.

The original sentence with arbeidshanskene and refleksvesten sounds more specific, as if it refers to particular gloves and a particular vest, or to standard equipment already known in the context.