Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Særlig på søndager er nabolaget stille. - Especially on Sundays the neighborhood is quiet.

Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be the second element. Since the sentence starts with a fronted time phrase (Særlig på søndager), the verb (er) comes next, then the subject (nabolaget): Særlig på søndager er nabolaget stille. If you don’t front anything, you can keep normal order: Nabolaget er stille, særlig på søndager.

Can I say Særlig på søndager nabolaget er stille?

No. In a main clause, once you front Særlig på søndager, the verb must come next: Særlig på søndager er nabolaget stille. If you want the subject before the verb, move the time phrase: Nabolaget er stille, særlig på søndager.

Why is it på søndager (plural) and not på søndag?

Using the plural day name expresses a habitual or recurring situation: på søndager = “on Sundays (in general).” The singular på søndag usually means “this/next Sunday,” i.e., one specific upcoming Sunday.

What’s the difference between på søndager, om søndager, på søndag, på søndagen, and på søndagene?

på søndager / om søndager: on Sundays (habitual). Both are fine; på is a bit more common in some areas, om is equally correct.
på søndag: on Sunday (the coming/this next Sunday).
på søndagen: on the (particular) Sunday already known in context.
på søndagene: on the Sundays (of a specific period/set), less common and context-dependent.

Could I just say om søndager instead of på søndager?

Yes. Om søndager is a fully natural alternative with the same meaning here. Don’t use i søndager; i is not used with days of the week.

What part of speech is stille here—adjective or adverb?

It’s an adjective used predicatively after er to describe the subject: nabolaget (the neighborhood) er stille (is quiet). The adjective stille is indeclinable (it doesn’t take endings like -t or -e in predicative position), so you do not say stilt here.

So is stilt ever correct?

Stilt exists, but it’s the past participle of the verb å stille (to place/pose), as in å ha stilt et spørsmål (to have asked a question). It is not the adjective “quiet,” so don’t use stilt to mean “quiet.”

Could I use rolig or fredelig instead of stille?

Often, yes, but the nuance shifts:

stille: quiet, little noise.
rolig: calm, not busy/agitated.
fredelig: peaceful, free from conflict.
So nabolaget er rolig emphasizes calmness; nabolaget er fredelig emphasizes peacefulness; nabolaget er stille focuses on low sound levels.

What does nabolaget mean, and how is it formed?

Nabolaget = “the neighborhood.” Base noun: et nabolag (neuter). Definite singular adds -et: nabolaget. Plural: nabolag (same form), definite plural: nabolagene. It’s a compound of nabo (neighbor) + lag (here “area/district” in older usage).

Is a comma needed after the fronted phrase (Særlig på søndager)?

No. Norwegian does not require a comma there. Særlig på søndager er nabolaget stille. is standard. You would use a comma only if the phrase is parenthetical later in the sentence: Nabolaget er stille, særlig på søndager.

Can I place særlig elsewhere, like Nabolaget er særlig stille på søndager?

Yes. Nabolaget er særlig stille på søndager is also natural and slightly shifts emphasis to how quiet it is on Sundays. Fronting Særlig på søndager highlights the time frame more strongly.

Is there any difference between særlig and spesielt?

They overlap. Særlig = “particularly/especially,” somewhat more neutral or formal. Spesielt is very common in speech and can also act as a scalar intensifier (“really”): Det er spesielt stille can mean “it’s really quiet.” In careful writing, use særlig for “especially,” and spesielt when you mean either “especially” or “particularly/very,” depending on context.

How would I negate this sentence?

Two common options, with slightly different emphasis:

Særlig på søndager er nabolaget ikke stille. (Especially on Sundays, it isn’t quiet.)
Nabolaget er ikke særlig stille på søndager. (The neighborhood isn’t particularly quiet on Sundays.)

Could I use blir instead of er?

Yes, if you want to stress a change of state: Særlig på søndager blir nabolaget stille. = “Especially on Sundays, the neighborhood becomes/gets quiet.” Er states a general condition; blir focuses on becoming.

Any quick pronunciation tips for Særlig på søndager er nabolaget stille?

æ in Særlig is like the vowel in English “cat,” but more open.
ø in søndager is like French eu (or German ö).
å in på is like the vowel in “law.”
The g in søndager is pronounced in careful speech, but many people reduce it in casual speech.
stille has a short, crisp i and a double consonant sound (short vowel + double L).
Norwegian stress typically falls on the first syllable of these words: SÆR-lig, SØN-da-ger, NA-bo-la-get, STIL-le.
Days of the week are not capitalized in Norwegian, so søndager is lowercase unless it starts a sentence.