Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Det er vanlig å tenke på helse når man trener hver dag. - It is common to think about health when one exercises every day.

In Norwegian det often functions as a dummy or expletive subject (like English “it” in “It’s raining”). Det er vanlig literally means “It is common” or “It is usual,” and introduces a general statement about what people typically do.

What does vanlig å mean?

Vanlig means “common” or “usual.” When you follow it with å plus an infinitive, you get the pattern vanlig å + verb, which corresponds to English “common to + verb” or “usual to + verb.” Here, vanlig å tenke = “common/usual to think.”

Why is there an å before tenke?

In Norwegian, the infinitive of a verb is marked by å, just like “to” in English infinitives. So å tenke = “to think.” Whenever one verb (like er) is followed by another verb as an action, you introduce the second verb with å.

Why do we say tenke på helse instead of just tenke helse?

The verb tenke (to think) requires the preposition på when you express what you are thinking about.
• å tenke på noe = “to think about something.”
So tenke på helse = “think about health.”

Why is there no article before helse?

When speaking about a concept in general (like health), Norwegian often uses the noun without an article, just as in English you say “think about health” rather than “think about the health.” It’s a mass noun here.

What does man mean in this sentence?

Man is an impersonal pronoun equivalent to English “one,” “you” (in a general sense), or sometimes “people.” It doesn’t refer to a specific person, but to people in general.

Why is it når man trener and not om man trener?

Når means “when” in the sense of “whenever” or “at the time that,” used for things that regularly happen.
Om can mean “if” (conditional) or “about.” Here we’re talking about a habitual action (“when you work out every day”), so we use når.

Is the word order når man trener hver dag just like in English?

Pretty close. In Norwegian subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions (like når), the finite verb still follows the subject. So you get når man trener (when one trains), and adverbials like hver dag (every day) can go at the end.

Could I say hver dag trener man instead of når man trener hver dag?

You could say Man trener hver dag (“One trains every day”), which is also correct. But to express “It’s common to think about health when you train every day” you need the time-clause når man trener hver dag to connect it to the main clause.