Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Vi planlegger en liten feiring ved første anledning; fordelen er at alle er hjemme. - We are planning a small celebration at the first opportunity; the advantage is that everyone is at home.

In this fixed expression, Norwegian omits the article: ved første anledning. If you were referring to a specific, previously mentioned occasion, you could say ved den første anledningen, but the idiom expressing “at the first chance (whenever that is)” uses no article.

Could I say på første anledning instead of ved første anledning?

No. Native usage strongly favors the fixed preposition ved in this idiom. Alternatives that feel natural are different phrasings altogether (e.g., så snart som mulig, så snart vi får sjansen).

Does Vi planlegger express a future meaning? Why not use skal?

Yes. Norwegian often uses the present tense for near-future plans. Vi planlegger = “We’re planning” (now) with a future result. If you say Vi skal feire ved første anledning, you mean “We will celebrate at the first opportunity” (a decision/intent). Avoid Vi skal planlegge… unless you literally mean “We will (at some point) do the planning.”

Can I move the time expression to the front? What happens to word order?

Yes: Ved første anledning planlegger vi en liten feiring. In main clauses, Norwegian is V2: when an adverbial (like a time phrase) is first, the verb comes second, and the subject follows it: “(Adverbial) + planlegger + vi …”

Why en liten feiring and not something else? How does the adjective agree?

feiring is a feminine noun in Bokmål, but many speakers use the masculine article: en feiring. You could also use the feminine: ei feiring (more common in some regions/styles).
The adjective “little/small” agrees:
- Masculine: liten
- Feminine: lita
- Neuter: lite
- Plural: små So both en liten feiring and ei lita feiring are correct Bokmål. The first is stylistically more neutral in many contexts.

What’s the nuance difference between feiring and fest?

feiring = “celebration” (focus on the act of marking an occasion; can be small or ceremonial)
fest = “party” (more like a social gathering/event) Here, en liten feiring suggests a modest or low-key celebration; en liten fest would sound like a small party.

Why the definite form fordelen (“the advantage”)? Could I say En fordel er at …?

Fordelen works like English “The advantage is that …” to present a key, salient benefit. You can absolutely say En fordel er at … = “One advantage is that …” if you’re listing among several. Colloquially, people also say Det fine er at … (“The nice thing is that …”).

Why use at in fordelen er at alle er hjemme? Could it be som or fordi?

at introduces a content clause (that-clause): “the advantage is that …”
som is a relative pronoun (“the advantage that … [which]”), which would change the meaning.
fordi means “because” and introduces a reason clause; it wouldn’t fit directly after fordelen er.

What is the word order inside the at-clause?

Subordinate clauses keep subject before the verb: at alle er hjemme (Subject = alle, Verb = er, Place adverb = hjemme). No inversion after at.

Does alle require plural agreement on the verb?

Norwegian verbs don’t show person/number agreement, so it’s always er. But remember, adjectives would take plural if used predicatively (e.g., Alle er glade “Everyone is happy”). Here, hjemme is an adverb, so no agreement is involved.

What’s the difference between hjem and hjemme?

hjem = (to) home; used for movement: dra hjem, komme hjem.
hjemme = at home; used for location/state: være hjemme. So alle er hjemme = “everyone is at home.” Not “i hjemme,” and not på hjem.

Why a semicolon here? Could I use other punctuation?

A semicolon separates two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction. Alternatives:

Period: … ved første anledning. Fordelen er at … (most neutral)
Colon: … ved første anledning: Fordelen er at … (introduces an explanation) Avoid a bare comma (comma splice) in formal writing.

Any pronunciation tips for tricky parts?

planlegger: the gg is a hard [g] (like “legge”), not a “y” sound. [ˈplɑːnˌlɛɡːər]
hjemme: the h in hj is silent; sounds like “yemme.” [ˈjɛmːə]
første: ø = rounded front vowel; in many dialects, rs becomes a retroflex “sh” sound [ʂ]. [ˈføʂtə]/[ˈføʂte]
fordelen: in many dialects, rd becomes a retroflex flap [ɽ]. [ˈfoɖeːɫən] (dialectal variation applies)

Is this Bokmål or Nynorsk?

This is Bokmål. A natural Nynorsk version would be: Vi planlegg ei lita feiring ved første høve; fordelen er at alle er heime. (Nynorsk prefers planlegg, ei lita feiring, høve for “occasion,” heime for “at home.”)

Is ved første anledning formal? How would people say this casually?

It’s somewhat formal or written. Colloquial alternatives:

så fort vi kan
så snart vi kan
så snart vi får sjansen
første sjanse vi får (spoken)