Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Hun reduserer avfall hjemme ved å bruke gamle knapper på nye klær. - She reduces waste at home by using old buttons on new clothes.

reduserer is the present tense form (3rd person singular) of the verb å redusere (to reduce). Norwegian adds an -r ending to verbs in the present tense:
• jeg reduserer
• du reduserer
• han/hun reduserer
redusere is the infinitive form (“to reduce”), so you need reduserer to say “she reduces.”

Why isn’t there an article before avfall, knapper, or klær?

Norwegian omits the indefinite article for plural nouns and uncountable nouns when speaking generally:
• avfall (trash/waste) is uncountable.
• knapper (buttons) is plural indefinite (some buttons).
• klær (clothes) is plural indefinite (some clothes).
If you wanted to refer to specific items, you could use the definite forms (e.g., de gamle knappene), but here it’s general.

What role does hjemme play, and why is it placed after avfall?

hjemme is an adverb meaning “at home.” In a main clause, Norwegian word order is typically Subject–Verb–Object–Adverb:
Hun (S) reduserer (V) avfall (O) hjemme (Adv).
So hjemme naturally comes after avfall. You could front it for emphasis: Hjemme reduserer hun avfall, but the meaning stays “She reduces waste at home.”

What does ved å bruke mean, and how is it different from for å bruke?

ved å + infinitive expresses the means or method: “by doing something.”
– ved å bruke = “by using.”
for å + infinitive expresses purpose: “in order to do something.”
– for å bruke = “in order to use.”
In the sentence, ved å bruke gamle knapper means “by using old buttons” (method), not “in order to use old buttons” (purpose).

Why is the preposition på used in på nye klær?

Here å bruke gamle knapper på nye klær means “to attach/use old buttons on new clothes.” Norwegian uses på (on/onto) when something is placed or attached to a surface. If you said til nye klær, it would mean “for new clothes” (as in “intended for”), which changes the meaning.

Can you use i hjemmet instead of hjemme?

Yes. i hjemmet (“in the home”) is a noun phrase, and hjemme is an adverb. Both mean “at home” here:
• Hun reduserer avfall hjemme
• Hun reduserer avfall i hjemmet
hjemme is shorter and more common in speech, but both are correct.

Could you add a possessive pronoun and say Hun reduserer sitt avfall?

You can: sitt is the reflexive possessive meaning “her own.” So Hun reduserer sitt avfall means “She reduces her own waste.” In everyday Norwegian, dropping sitt is fine when it’s clear you mean one’s own. Adding sitt simply adds emphasis on ownership.