Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Fredagen er lang, men kvelden er rolig.

The suffix -en is the definite article “the” attached to the noun. So fredag = Friday, fredagen = the Friday; kveld = evening, kvelden = the evening. Indefinite forms would be en fredag and en kveld.

Why are both nouns in the definite form here?

Because the sentence talks about a specific day and its evening, essentially “this Friday” and “that evening.” Using the definite form ties the two together: the evening belongs to that Friday. For a general, habitual statement, you’d phrase it differently (see below).

Could I say Fredag er lang to mean “Friday is long (in general)”?

That sounds odd in Norwegian. For general habits, use:

Plural: Fredager er lange (Fridays are long).
Or with a preposition: På fredager er dagen lang (On Fridays, the day is long).

Why is it lang and not lenge?

Lang is an adjective (“long”) describing the noun fredagen. Lenge is an adverb (“for a long time”). You’d use lenge with a verb, e.g., Fredagen varer lenge (Friday lasts a long time).

Why not langt?

Langt is the neuter singular form of the adjective. Fredagen and kvelden are masculine/common gender nouns, so the predicative adjective stays lang / rolig. Examples:

Singular common: Dagen er lang.
Singular neuter: Huset er stort.
Plural (any gender): Dagene er lange.

Does the adjective change in the second clause too?

Yes, but the rule is the same: kvelden is singular common gender, so the predicative adjective is rolig (not rolige). In plural you’d have kveldene er rolige.

What does men mean here, and why is there a comma before it?

Men means “but.” Norwegian normally puts a comma before men when it links two main clauses, as in this sentence.

Is there any risk of confusing men with menn?

Spelling matters: men = but; menn = men (plural of “man”). They’re pronounced differently, too.

Is the word order here following a special rule?

Yes, Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb is in second position. Each clause does this: Subject (Fredagen) + Verb (er) + Complement (lang); then Subject (kvelden) + Verb (er) + Complement (rolig).

Could I shorten it to Fredagen er lang, men rolig?

That would make both adjectives describe the same subject (fredagen), i.e., “the day is long but quiet,” which isn’t the intended contrast. Keep the second subject to show the change of topic: … men kvelden er rolig. You could also say: … men på kvelden er det rolig.

How would I say it as a general statement about all Fridays?

Fredager er lange, men kveldene er rolige.
Or: På fredager er dagen lang, men om kvelden er det rolig.

Could I say Fredagskvelden er rolig?

Yes. Fredagskvelden = “the Friday evening.” You can write: Fredagen er lang, men fredagskvelden er rolig. It’s natural and idiomatic.

What’s the difference between rolig and stille?

Rolig = calm/peaceful/quiet in a general sense (atmosphere, tempo, mood).
Stille = silent/very quiet (focus on low/no sound). So a library might be stille, whereas a relaxed evening is often rolig.

Why is Fredagen capitalized? Are weekdays capitalized in Norwegian?

Weekdays are not capitalized in Norwegian unless they start a sentence. Here it’s capitalized only because it’s the first word. Otherwise you’d write fredagen.

How do I pronounce the words?

Fredagen: roughly “FRAY-dah-gen” (hard g). IPA: /ˈfɾeːdɑːɡən/.
kvelden: roughly “KVEL-len”; the d is silent. IPA: /ˈkʋeːlən/.
rolig: roughly “ROO-lee”; final g is often very light. IPA: /ˈruːli/.
men: like English “men.” IPA: /men/.

Is there a Nynorsk version?

Yes: Fredagen er lang, men kvelden er roleg. (Only rolig changes to roleg.)