Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Lekser er det samme som skolearbeid, sier læreren. - Homework is the same as schoolwork, says the teacher.

In Norwegian, lekse is a countable noun meaning “an assignment” or “one homework task.” When you talk about homework in general you normally use the plural lekser. Saying en lekse only refers to a single exercise, while lekser covers all your assignments.

What does the phrase det samme som mean, and why is det needed?

det samme som literally means “the same as.” Here det is a neuter pronoun acting as a placeholder, samme means “same,” and som is the relative word “as.” You need all three parts—if you drop det you get an ungrammatical fragment (samme som by itself doesn’t work in this construction).

Why is there no article before skolearbeid?

skolearbeid is an uncountable (mass) noun meaning “school work” or “school assignments.” In Norwegian, uncountable nouns normally appear without an article in an indefinite sense. If you wanted to refer to a single piece of schoolwork you could say et skolearbeid, but that sounds formal and isn’t common in everyday speech.

What is skolearbeid—is it one word, and how is it formed?

Yes, skolearbeid is a compound noun made from skole (“school”) + arbeid (“work”). In Norwegian you often join two nouns: the first describes or limits the second, and only the second word carries the gender and plural forms (here arbeid is neuter and unchanged in the plural).

Why does sier læreren invert the verb and subject (verb first)?

That part is a speaker tag following direct speech, similar to English “…,” he says. In Norwegian, each clause still follows the verb-second (V2) rule, so in the tag clause sier (the verb) comes before læreren (the subject).

Could I report this in indirect (subordinate) speech instead?

Yes. In indirect speech you use a past tense verb and introduce the clause with at. For example:
Læreren sa at lekser er det samme som skolearbeid.

Why is there a comma before sier læreren, and do we need quotation marks?

When you quote someone directly, you normally use quotation marks in writing:
“Lekser er det samme som skolearbeid,” sier læreren.
The comma goes inside the closing quote, just like in English. In some printed dialogue you might omit the quotation marks but still keep the comma to separate the quote from the tag.

What is the grammatical function of det samme som skolearbeid in the sentence?

It is a predicate nominal (predikativ), a noun phrase that renames or defines the subject lekser. The verb er acts as a copula linking the subject and the predicate.

Is there a difference between lekser and hjemmearbeid?

Both can translate to “homework,” but lekser is the everyday, common term in Norwegian. hjemmearbeid is more formal or bookish (literally “home work”) and rarely used in casual conversation.