Jeg hører lyden når toget kommer.

I hear the sound when the train comes.

Breakdown of Jeg hører lyden når toget kommer.

• jeg: I
• komme: to come
• toget: the train
• når: when
• høre: to hear
• lyden: the sound

Questions & Answers about Jeg hører lyden når toget kommer.

What does når mean here, and how does it differ from da?

In this sentence når means “when” in the sense of a general or repeated event (i.e. “whenever the train comes”). You use når for present/future time clauses or habitual actions. da is reserved for single, completed events in the past (“when…”) and cannot replace når here.

Why is lyden in the definite form instead of en lyd?

You’re talking about a specific sound—the one you hear when the train arrives. Norwegian marks definiteness by adding a suffix, so lyden = “the sound.” If you said en lyd, it would mean “a sound” in a general, non-specific sense.

Why is toget in the definite form instead of et tog?

Similarly, you’re referring to a particular train (the one that’s coming). Toget = “the train.” Et tog would mean “a train” without identifying which train.

Why does the verb kommer come at the end of the clause når toget kommer?

In Norwegian subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like når, the verb goes to the end (sometimes called V-final or SOV order). The pattern is: conjunction + subject + (objects/adverbials) + verb. That’s why kommer appears last.

Why are both verbs (hører, kommer) in the present tense when this could describe any time?

Norwegian uses the simple present for single events, repeated actions, and general truths alike. Jeg hører lyden når toget kommer can mean “I hear the sound whenever the train comes,” or simply “I hear it right now as the train arrives.”

Could I say Jeg hører toget komme instead, and what’s the difference?

Yes. Jeg hører toget komme (“I hear the train come”) is a more direct way to express “I hear the train coming.” You’re focusing on the action of the train approaching rather than explicitly naming the sound.

Why isn’t there a preposition av as in lyden av toget?

Here the subordinate clause når toget kommer already specifies which sound you hear, so av toget would be redundant. You could say Jeg hører lyden av toget når det kommer, but most speakers drop av toget because the time clause makes it clear.

How would the word order change if I start with Når toget kommer?

When a subordinate clause comes first, the main clause must still follow the V2 (verb-second) rule. So you’d say:
Når toget kommer, hører jeg lyden.