Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Du må lagre e-posten før du går hjem. - You must save the email before you go home.

Må is a modal verb meaning “must” or “have to.” It expresses necessity or obligation. Here it tells you that saving the email is compulsory before you leave.

Why is lagre used instead of verbs like “sende” or “arkivere”?

Lagre means “to save” (a file, document, draft).

Sende means “to send,” which is a different action.
Arkivere means “to archive,” i.e. file away for storage after you’re done with it.
If your goal is simply to keep changes so they aren’t lost, you use lagre.

Why is it e-posten instead of en e-post or just e-post?

En e-post = “an email” (indefinite).
Adding -en to the noun makes it definite: e-posten = “the email.”
Since the sentence refers to a specific email you’ve been working on, the definite form e-posten is required.

What gender and article does e-post take?

In Bokmål, e-post is a common‐gender noun. You normally say en e-post (indefinite) and e-posten (definite). Some dialects/feminine variants use ei e-post, but en e-post is standard in written Bokmål.

Why isn’t there an at after før?

Time conjunctions like før (“before”) do not take at when they introduce a clause. You simply write før du går hjem, never før at du går hjem (though some dialects might insert enn informally).

Why is the present tense used in før du går hjem, even though it refers to the future?

Norwegian (like English) uses the present tense in time clauses to talk about the future. So før du går hjem literally “before you go home” implies a future action without switching to a special future tense.

Why is there no comma before før?

Norwegian generally omits the comma when a subordinate time clause (introduced by før) follows the main clause. Commas are optional but less frequent than in English.

What part of speech is hjem in går hjem?

Hjem is an adverb of direction meaning “home.” You pair it directly with gå (“go”) to form “go home,” without a preposition like til.

Can you drop the subject du in før du går hjem as in English (“before going home”)?

No. Norwegian subordinate clauses require an explicit subject. You must say før du går hjem, not før går hjem.

How does word order work in the subordinate clause after før?

Norwegian subordinate clauses follow Subject–Verb–Object (SVO). After før you still place the subject (du) first and the finite verb (går) second, e.g. før du går hjem.

Could you use dra hjem instead of gå hjem?

Yes, but the nuance changes:

Gå hjem = “walk home.”
Dra hjem = “travel home” (by car, bus, train, etc.).
Choose gå if you’re walking; dra if you’re using transport.