Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg holder på å rydde stuen, derfor slår jeg av lampen. - I am tidying the living room, therefore I turn off the lamp.

Holde på å is a fixed expression used to show that someone is in the middle of doing something—much like the English continuous (“I’m doing…”). Grammatically it’s holder (present of holde) + på + å + infinitive. So jeg holder på å rydde literally “I am holding on to tidy,” but idiomatically “I’m tidying up right now.”

Why is rydde used here rather than rengjøre?

Rydde means “to tidy” or “to clear away clutter,” whereas rengjøre means “to clean” (washing, scrubbing). Since the speaker is putting things in order in the living room (not deep-cleaning surfaces), rydde is the appropriate verb.

Why is it rydde stuen (definite) instead of rydde en stue (indefinite)?

In Norwegian you often use the definite form when referring to a known part of the house. The speaker isn’t tidying “a” living room in general, but “the” living room of their home. Hence: stue → stuen.

What role does derfor play, and why is there a comma before it?

Derfor means “therefore” and links the two clauses logically (“I’m tidying, therefore I’m turning off…”). The comma marks the boundary between the two independent clauses. When derfor comes in clause-initial position, the finite verb still goes in second position (see next question).

How does word order work with derfor slår jeg av lampen?

Norwegian follows the “V2” or “verb-second” rule: the finite verb must be the second element in a main clause. Here the first element is derfor, so the verb slår follows immediately, then the subject jeg, then the remainder av lampen.

Why is slå av split as slår … av rather than written together?

Slå av is a separable verb meaning “to turn off.” In finite, main‐clause forms the particle av separates and often goes after the object (or after the verb, as here). Writing avslå without space would give you a totally different verb (“to refuse”).

Could the object lampen come between slår and av?

Yes. Both slår jeg av lampen and slår jeg lampen av are correct. Placing lampen between the verb and particle is perfectly natural and sometimes even more common in speech.

Why is present tense used for both actions instead of a separate progressive form for turning off the lamp?

Norwegian doesn’t have a separate continuous tense. The simple present covers both habitual actions (“I turn off the lamp”) and ongoing actions (“I’m turning off the lamp”). Context (and holde på å) tells you which meaning applies.