Breakdown of Jeg bruker en hjelm når jeg sykler i trafikken.
jeg
I
en
a
i
in
når
when
bruke
to use
trafikken
the traffic
hjelmen
the helmet
sykle
to ride
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Questions & Answers about Jeg bruker en hjelm når jeg sykler i trafikken.
Why is the verb bruker used to express “wear” in this sentence, instead of bære or ha på seg?
å bruke literally means “to use,” but in Norwegian it’s also the most natural verb for “wear” when referring to equipment or accessories (like a helmet, glasses, etc.).
- å bære normally means “to carry.”
- å ha på seg (“to have on oneself”) also works for “to wear,” but is a bit more formal or explicit.
So Jeg bruker en hjelm is simply the idiomatic way to say “I wear a helmet.”
Can I say Jeg bærer en hjelm or Jeg har på meg en hjelm instead?
Yes, but they convey slightly different nuances:
- Jeg bærer en hjelm → “I carry a helmet” (as in transporting it).
- Jeg har på meg en hjelm → literally “I have (it) on me,” i.e. “I am wearing a helmet.”
- Jeg bruker en hjelm → habitual, idiomatic “I wear a helmet.”
Why does the sentence use en hjelm? Why can’t I just say Jeg bruker hjelm?
In Norwegian, singular countable nouns must have an article (indefinite en/ei/et). Omitting the article (hjelm) is ungrammatical. You need en hjelm (“a helmet”) when you speak about one helmet in general.
How do I know that hjelm takes en and not et?
Norwegian nouns have three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter.
- Hjelm is a common‐gender noun (masculine/feminine), so its indefinite form is en.
- Neuter nouns take et.
When you learn a new noun, check a dictionary—it will list the gender and the correct article.
Why is i trafikken in the definite form? Could it also be i trafikk?
Trafikk is an uncountable concept, and Norwegian normally uses the definite form when talking about “traffic” in general.
- i trafikken = “in (the) traffic” (natural)
- i trafikk sounds odd or too vague.
What role does når play here? I know it can mean “when,” but how and when do I use it?
Når is a conjunction meaning “when” for present, future or habitual situations.
- Når jeg sykler – “when I cycle/ride.”
Use da for a single past event (“da jeg syklet” – “when I cycled”).
You can also use mens (“while”) to emphasize simultaneous action (“mens jeg sykler”), but når is the standard choice for habitual statements.
In the subordinate clause når jeg sykler i trafikken, why do we keep the verb right after the subject, instead of moving it to the end like in German?
Norwegian subordinate clauses still follow the V2 rule: the finite verb remains in second position. In når jeg sykler, når (the conjunction) is not counted as a slot that pushes the verb to the end—you keep the normal subject–verb order (jeg sykler).