Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Du burde drikke vann før du spiser brød. - You should drink water before you eat bread.

In Norwegian, when you use a modal verb like burde (should), the following main verb appears in the bare infinitive—without å. So instead of burde å drikke, you say burde drikke.

What exactly does burde mean, and how is it different from bør?

Burde is the past tense form of bør, but in modern usage both can express advice.

Du bør drikke vann feels like a direct “you should.”
Du burde drikke vann can sound slightly more tentative or polite, almost like “you ought to.”
Both are common for giving suggestions, but burde often softens it.

Why is spiser in the present tense even though it refers to something you’ll do after drinking water?

Norwegian typically uses the present tense for general or planned actions, rather than a separate future tense. Saying før du spiser brød covers “before you eat” in a general or upcoming sense. There’s no need for a future form—context tells you it’s a future event.

Why aren’t there articles before vann and brød? Wouldn’t English say “the water” or “the bread”?

Here both vann and brød are used in a general, uncountable sense—just “water” and “bread.” If you meant specific items you’d add a definite article suffix:

vannet = “the water”
brødet = “the bread”

Can I move the før-clause to the beginning? For example, Før du spiser brød, burde du drikke vann?

Yes. When a subordinate temporal clause comes first, you typically use a comma:

Før du spiser brød, burde du drikke vann.
That word order is perfectly natural in Norwegian.

Why is the word order in før du spiser brød subject–verb–object rather than verb–subject?

In subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like før, Norwegian follows SVO order (Subject–Verb–Object). Verb–subject inversion (V2) only applies in main clauses or after certain adverbs.

Could I use for at instead of før to say “before”?

No. for at expresses purpose (“so that”), not time. To say “before,” you must use før.

Why can’t I drop the second du in før du spiser brød? English might say “before eating bread.”

Norwegian requires an explicit subject in subordinate clauses, so you need du. If you turn it into an infinitive clause, you could say:

Du burde drikke vann før du spiser brød.
Or Du burde drikke vann før å spise brød. (Uncommon/marked in most dialects; better stick with the finite form.)

When should I use brød vs brødet?

Use brød for “bread” in general or when you mean “some bread.” Use brødet when referring to a specific loaf or the definite concept “the bread.”

Do I need a comma before før here?

When the før-clause comes at the end (as in the original sentence), a comma is optional. Many Norwegians skip it:

Du burde drikke vann før du spiser brød.
Adding a comma isn’t wrong, but it’s more common when the clause begins the sentence.