Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Man må drikke vann før man spiser brød. - One must drink water before one eats bread.

In Norwegian, man is an indefinite pronoun meaning “one” or a generic “you.” It refers to people in general, not a specific person. In everyday speech, it often feels like the English “you” when giving advice or stating general truths.

Why is there man again in the second clause? It feels repetitive.

Norwegian subordinate clauses require an explicit subject. Even though it seems repetitive in English, you must repeat man in the clause after før. You cannot drop it the way you might in English (“before eating bread”).

Why is it må drikke and not drikker?

Må is a modal auxiliary verb (must). In Norwegian, as in English, modals are followed by the bare infinitive. So you say må drikke (“must drink”), not drikker (“drink/drinks”).

Why is vann not preceded by an article?

Here vann is used in a general, uncountable sense (“water” as a substance). In such generic contexts, Norwegian omits the article. If you meant a specific body of water or a particular glass, you’d say vannet (“the water”).

Why is the verb in the second clause spiser (present tense) and not an infinitive?

After the conjunction før (“before”), you form a full subordinate clause with a finite (conjugated) verb. Infinitives are not used in this construction, so you need man spiser rather than å spise.

Could we say før å spise brød instead of før man spiser brød?

No. Før here introduces a subordinate clause, not an infinitive phrase. The structure før å spise is ungrammatical in Norwegian. You must use før + subject + finite verb.

What’s the difference between før and først?

Før is a conjunction or preposition meaning “before.”
Først is an adverb meaning “first” (as in sequence: “first do this, then do that”). They are unrelated words with different functions.

Can you use du instead of man here?

Yes. In everyday spoken Norwegian, du (“you”) often replaces man. You would then say:
Du må drikke vann før du spiser brød.
This feels more natural in casual conversation.

Can I start the sentence with the subordinate clause instead?

Definitely. You can front the før-clause, but then you must invert the main clause’s verb and subject:
Før man spiser brød, må man drikke vann.
This is perfectly correct and places emphasis on the “before” action.