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Å lære nye vaner er utfordrende i starten.

Å lære nye vaner er utfordrende i starten.
Learning new habits is challenging at the start.
FromLesson 29inHardcore Norwegian
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Questions & Answers about Å lære nye vaner er utfordrende i starten.

What does Å mean here, and how do you pronounce the whole sentence?
  • Å is the infinitive marker, equivalent to English to before a verb. It’s capitalized only because it starts the sentence.
  • A quick, rough pronunciation (Eastern Norwegian-style):
    • Å ≈ “oh”
    • lære ≈ LAE-reh (æ like in cat)
    • nye ≈ NEE-yeh (y is a fronted “u,” like French u)
    • vaner ≈ VAH-ner
    • er ≈ ehr (very short)
    • utfordrende ≈ OOT-for-dren-deh (u like French u; tapped/trilled r)
    • i ≈ ee
    • starten ≈ STAR-ten
      Put together: roughly “oh LAE-reh NEE-yeh VAH-ner ehr OOT-for-dren-deh ee STAR-ten.”
Can an infinitive clause really be the subject in Norwegian?

Yes. Å lære nye vaner is the subject here. Norwegian main clauses have the finite verb in second position (the V2 rule), so er comes second:

  • 1st element (subject): Å lære nye vaner
  • 2nd element (verb): er
    You can also nominalize the infinitive by adding det: Det å lære nye vaner er utfordrende i starten. Both are correct.
Could I also say: Det er utfordrende å lære nye vaner i starten?
Absolutely. Det here is a dummy subject, and the infinitive clause (å lære nye vaner) is the complement of utfordrende. This version is very natural and common: Det er utfordrende å lære nye vaner i starten. Meaning is essentially the same.
Should I use lære, lære seg, or lære bort here?
  • lære = learn (or teach, depending on objects/context).
    • Learn: Jeg vil lære norsk.
    • Teach: Hun lærer barna gode vaner.
  • lære seg = learn/acquire for oneself (common with skills/habits): Han lærer seg norsk.
  • lære bort = teach (explicitly “teach to others”): Hun lærer bort matematikk.
    In your sentence, lære works fine; lære seg would also be acceptable if you want to stress personal acquisition.
Is å lære nye vaner the most idiomatic way to say this?

It’s understandable, but many would prefer verbs that emphasize establishing or building habits:

  • Å etablere/innarbeide/danne/legge til seg nye vaner er utfordrende i starten.
    Use lære when you mean teaching or acquiring knowledge/skills, or when talking about teaching habits to others: å lære barna gode vaner (teach children good habits).
Why is it nye vaner and not ny vaner or nytt vaner?

Adjectives agree with the noun’s gender/number:

  • Singular common gender: ny (en ny vane)
  • Singular neuter: nytt (et nytt mål)
  • Plural (all genders) and all definite forms: nye (nye vaner, de nye vanene)
    Since vaner is plural, you need nye.
What grammatical form is vaner, and what are the other forms?

vane is a common-gender noun (en-ord):

  • Singular indefinite: en vane
  • Singular definite: vanen
  • Plural indefinite: vaner
  • Plural definite: vanene
Why is there no article before nye vaner?
Norwegian has no article in the plural indefinite: nye vaner = “(some) new habits.” If you specify, you use the definite plural: de nye vanene = “the new habits.”
What nuance does utfordrende have compared to vanskelig?
  • utfordrende = challenging, demanding (often implies a positive/constructive or doable challenge).
  • vanskelig = difficult/hard (more plainly “hard,” sometimes with a negative feel).
    Other near-synonyms: krevende (demanding), tøft (tough).
Does utfordrende change form with gender/number?

No. Adjectives ending in -ende (like utfordrende, krevende) are invariable:

  • en utfordrende oppgave / et utfordrende tema / utfordrende oppgaver / de utfordrende oppgavene.
Why i starten and not på starten? Any good synonyms?
  • i starten (“in the beginning/at first”) is the idiomatic general-time expression.
  • på starten is unusual for this meaning.
  • ved starten (av …) works when referring to a specific event/thing: ved starten av løpet (at the start of the race).
  • Good synonyms: i begynnelsen, til å begynne med.
Where can I place i starten in the sentence? Any comma rules?

Common placements:

  • End: Å lære nye vaner er utfordrende i starten.
  • Fronted: I starten er det utfordrende å lære nye vaner.
    No comma after a short fronted adverbial like I starten in Norwegian.
Is the present er the right tense here? Could I say something else?

Yes. er states a general truth. You can nuance it with modals/adverbs:

  • kan være (can be), ofte er (is often), som regel er (is usually):
    • Å lære nye vaner kan være utfordrende i starten.
    • Det er ofte utfordrende å lære nye vaner i starten.