Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Høsten blir kaldere når stormene nærmer seg øya. - The autumn becomes colder when the storms approach the island.

In Norwegian, seasons are typically used in the definite form when you talk about them in general or as a whole. Høst is a masculine noun—indefinite singular en høst, definite singular høsten. Here we refer to “the autumn” that’s coming, so it takes the definite ending -en.

What does blir mean here, and why not use er?

Blir is the present tense of å bli (“to become” or “to get”). Saying blir kaldere gives the sense of change over time (“gets colder”). If you used er kald, that would simply state a condition in the moment (“is cold”), without implying that it’s getting progressively colder.

Why is cold expressed as kaldere? What’s the -ere ending?

The ending -ere is the comparative suffix in Norwegian, equivalent to English -er. So kald (cold) → kaldere (colder). It shows a comparison (autumn is getting more cold than before).

Why is there a seg after nærmer?

Because å nærme seg is a reflexive verb meaning “to approach” or “draw near.” The seg is a reflexive pronoun that refers back to the subject (stormene). Without seg, nærmer would mean something like “makes something nearer.”

Why isn’t there a preposition like til before øya (“island”)?

The relationship “approach the island” is already built into the reflexive verb nærme seg. You don’t say nærmer seg til øya; you just attach the object directly: nærmer seg øya.

Why is stormene in the definite plural rather than stormer?

Stormer is the indefinite plural (“storms” in general). Stormene adds the definite plural suffix -ene, so it means “the storms” (specific storms that are approaching).

How does the word order work after når? I thought subordinate clauses put the verb at the end.

In Norwegian, subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like når, at, fordi still follow the V2 (verb-second) rule. So the order is: conjunction (når), subject (stormene), verb (nærmer), and then the rest (seg øya). The finite verb does not go to the very end as in German.

Why use når instead of da or om for “when”?

Use når for general or recurring time clauses in the present or future (“when storms approach”). Da is reserved for specific points in the past (“when I arrived, …”). Om can express “if” or “in” (e.g., om to timer = “in two hours”) but isn’t used for these temporal clauses.

Why is øya ending in -a?

Øy is a feminine noun. Its definite singular form takes the suffix -a, so øya means “the island.”