Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Hvis jeg hadde mer tid, ville jeg gjøre øvelsen skikkelig hver dag. - If I had more time, I would do the exercise properly every day.

This is a Type II (unreal) conditional in Norwegian. In counterfactual or unlikely situations, you use the simple past in the if-clause (hvis jeg hadde mer tid) and the past form of the modal verb in the main clause (ville jeg gjøre). It corresponds to “if I had more time, I would do...”. Norwegian doesn’t have a separate subjunctive; the past tense serves this purpose.

Why is there no å before gjøre (to do)?

Modal verbs like vil, må, skal, kan and their past forms (ville, måtte, skulle, kunne) take a bare infinitive after them, so you omit å. Hence ville jeg gjøre, not ville jeg å gjøre.

Why does the main clause start with ville before jeg?

In Norwegian, when you start with a subordinate clause (hvis-clause), the main clause that follows must follow V2 (verb-second) word order: the finite verb comes first, then the subject. So after hvis ..., we have ville (verb) + jeg (subject).

What does skikkelig mean, and can I use another word like ordentlig?

skikkelig is an adverb meaning “properly,” “thoroughly,” or colloquially “really.” You can indeed use ordentlig in many contexts; it’s a near synonym: gjøre øvelsen ordentlig hver dag also works. Small nuance: skikkelig can sound a bit more informal or emphatic.

Why is it gjøre øvelsen (do the exercise) in the definite singular instead of plural øvelser or a pronoun like den?

The speaker refers to a specific exercise previously mentioned, so they use the definite singular øvelsen. Using a pronoun (gjøre den) is grammatically correct but less common in Norwegian style here; Norwegian often keeps the noun for clarity, especially with modal constructions.

What’s the difference between hvis and om in conditional sentences?

hvis and om can both mean “if,” but hvis is more common for real or unreal conditions, while om often appears in questions (“om det regner?”). In some dialects, om also introduces hypotheticals, but in standard Bokmål, hvis is your safest choice for “if.”

Could I move hver dag to a different part of the sentence?

You can move hver dag somewhat freely, but it should stay close to the verb it modifies:

...ville jeg hver dag gjøre øvelsen skikkelig (a bit formal or odd)
...ville jeg gjøre øvelsen skikkelig hver dag (natural)
...hvis jeg hadde mer tid, ville jeg hver dag gjøre øvelsen skikkelig (possible but wordy).

Why don’t we use hadde hatt (had had) here, since in English we say “if I had had more time”?

In Norwegian, you use the simple past for present-time counterfactuals. hadde hatt is the past perfect and would imply a past event before another past event (like “if I had had more time yesterday…”). For a present-unreal meaning (“I don’t have enough time now”), just hadde works.

Where does the adverb skikkelig go? Could it come before gjøre, like skikkelig gjøre?

Adverbs in Norwegian typically follow the verb (or verb phrase) they modify. After modals plus infinitive, you place them after the object or at the end:

ville jeg gjøre øvelsen skikkelig (correct)
Putting skikkelig before gjøre would make it modify gjøre directly but sounds stilted: ville jeg skikkelig gjøre øvelsen is less common and more marked.