Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg tar en brødskive før jeg legger meg; dessuten drikker jeg vann. - I take a slice of bread before I go to bed; besides, I drink water.

In everyday Norwegian, ta can mean “have” or “grab” a portion: Jeg tar en brødskive ≈ “I’ll have a slice of bread,” focusing on taking/serving yourself one. Spiser focuses on the act of eating. Both are correct here, but tar subtly highlights “one portion, now.” Colloquial: Jeg tar meg en brødskive (treat myself to a slice).

What exactly does brødskive mean? Could I say en skive brød instead?

Brødskive is a compound meaning “slice of bread.” En skive brød is equally common and means the same thing. Using just skive can be ambiguous (a slice of anything), so brødskive or skive brød makes it clear.

Should it be en brødskive or ei brødskive?

Both are acceptable in Bokmål. Skive is grammatically feminine, so ei brødskive is fully correct; many writers use the masculine article in Bokmål, hence en brødskive (as in the sentence). Definite forms: brødskiva (fem) or brødskiven (masc).

Why is it før jeg legger meg and not før legger jeg meg?

Because før introduces a subordinate clause. In Norwegian subclauses, the subject comes before the verb (no V2 inversion): … at jeg legger meg, … når jeg legger meg, … før jeg legger meg. The main clause does have V2: Jeg tar … (subject first, verb second).

Why legger meg? What’s the role of the reflexive?

Å legge seg means “to go to bed/lie down (oneself).” Without the reflexive, å legge needs a direct object (“to lay/put something”: Jeg legger boka på bordet). So jeg legger meg = “I go to bed.” You can also say jeg legger meg ned (“I lie down”), not necessarily to sleep.

What’s the difference between legger and ligger?

Legge (seg) = “lay (oneself)” / “go to bed,” transitive or reflexive. Forms: legger – la – har lagt.
Ligge = “lie, be in a lying position,” intransitive. Forms: ligger – lå – har ligget.
Compare: Jeg legger meg nå (“I’m going to bed now”) vs Jeg ligger i senga (“I’m lying in bed”).

Why is it Dessuten drikker jeg vann and not Dessuten jeg drikker vann?

Main clauses in Norwegian follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in second position. Dessuten (an adverbial) stands first, so the verb drikker must come next, then the subject jeg: Dessuten drikker jeg …

What does dessuten mean, and how is it different from også or i tillegg?

Dessuten ≈ “besides/what’s more,” often adds an extra argument or point. Typically clause-initial and triggers inversion: Dessuten drikker jeg …
Også = “also/too,” usually mid-position after the verb in main clauses: Jeg drikker også vann.
I tillegg = “in addition,” a phrase similar in meaning to dessuten: I tillegg drikker jeg vann.
Nuance: dessuten can feel a bit more rhetorical/emphatic than også.

Why is there a semicolon? Could I use a period or a comma?

Two independent clauses are being linked. A period would be fine: … legger meg. Dessuten drikker jeg vann. A semicolon neatly shows a close connection. A bare comma before dessuten is not recommended in formal writing because dessuten is an adverb, not a coordinating conjunction.

Where would ikke go if I want to negate something?

In a main clause, ikke typically comes after the finite verb: Jeg drikker ikke vann.
In a subclause, ikke comes before the verb: … fordi jeg ikke er tørst.
For this sentence: Jeg drikker ikke vann før jeg legger meg.
(Negating the subclause itself would be før jeg ikke legger meg, which is grammatical but rarely meaningful.)

Does the present tense here mean a habit, or something happening right now?

Norwegian present covers both. Context decides. Here it most naturally reads as a habit/routine: “I (usually) have a slice of bread before going to bed; besides, I drink water.” To stress “right now,” you could add nå or use holder på å for ongoing action.

How do I pronounce the tricky words?

jeg: often [jæi] (many say [jæ] or [je]); the g is silent.
brødskive: brød with the rounded vowel [ø] (like French “peu”); skive with “sh”-sound for sk before i/y/e: [ʃ].
dessuten: roughly “deh-SU-ten,” with the fronted u [ʉ].
før: [føːr], same ø vowel.
meg: commonly [mæi] (“mai”).
Dialects vary; these are common Oslo-area approximations.

Is vann countable? Should I say “some water”?

Vann is a mass noun; drikker vann is normal. You can specify quantity: litt vann (“a little water”), noe vann (“some water”), et glass vann (“a glass of water”). vannet (“the water”) refers to specific water.

Is Jeg tar meg en brødskive okay?

Yes. Ta seg + food/drink is idiomatic and casual, suggesting “treat myself/just have”: Jeg tar meg en brødskive / en kopp te / et glass vann. Don’t use drikker meg vann—the reflexive goes with ta, not drikke, in this sense.

Can I use først instead of før?

No. Før = “before” (temporal conjunction/preposition): før jeg legger meg. Først = “first” (sequence adverb): Først tar jeg en brødskive, (og) så legger jeg meg. They’re not interchangeable.

Why do we repeat jeg in the second clause? Can’t we drop the subject?

Norwegian isn’t a “pro‑drop” language, so each finite clause needs an explicit subject. After a semicolon (or a new sentence), you still say …; dessuten drikker jeg vann, not …; dessuten drikker vann.