Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Uventet snø i mai gjør reisen vanskelig. - Unexpected snow in May makes the trip difficult.

Because snø is typically an uncountable mass noun in Norwegian. When you mean snow in general, you use the bare form without an article. If you want to say the snow, you use the definite form snøen, and the whole phrase would become den uventede snøen.

Why is the adjective uventet not uventede here?

Attributive adjectives before an indefinite singular noun take the base form, and with participle-like adjectives such as uventet, that base form ends in -et. Use:

Indefinite singular: uventet snø
Definite singular: den uventede snøen
Plural: uventede snøfall

What does gjør mean here? Why not just use er?

Gjør is the present tense of å gjøre and means “makes/causes” here. The structure gjøre + object + adjective expresses causation: gjør reisen vanskelig = “makes the journey difficult.” If you said reisen er vanskelig, you’d only state a condition (the journey is difficult), without expressing what causes it.

How do you conjugate å gjøre?

Infinitive: å gjøre
Present: gjør
Past: gjorde
Past participle: gjort
Present perfect: har gjort

Why is gjør in the second position in the sentence?

Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be the second element. The subject phrase Uventet snø i mai counts as the first element; gjør comes second.

Could I front the time phrase and say I mai gjør uventet snø reisen vanskelig?

Yes. I mai then becomes the first element, and V2 still holds, so gjør stays in second position: I mai gjør uventet snø reisen vanskelig. This order highlights the time frame.

Why is it i mai and not på mai?

Norwegian uses i with months: i mai, i november. The preposition på is used with days/parts of the day in some contexts (e.g., på mandag in some dialects/styles), but not with months.

Why is it reisen (definite) and not en reise (indefinite)?

Reisen means “the journey,” referring to a specific, known trip. If you said en reise, it would mean “a journey” in general or an unspecified trip. Both are grammatically fine; choose based on meaning.

Is reise feminine or masculine? Why do I sometimes see reisa?

In Bokmål, many traditionally feminine nouns can be treated as masculine. So you can use either:

Masculine style: en reise – reisen
Feminine style: ei reise – reisa Both are correct in Bokmål; choose one style and be consistent.

What’s the difference between reise and tur?

Reise typically refers to a trip/journey, often longer or more formal.
Tur is often a shorter outing or excursion (a walk, a quick trip).
You could say …gjør turen vanskelig, but it would suggest a shorter or more casual trip.

Why is the adjective vanskelig (not vanskelige) after reisen?

Here vanskelig is a predicative complement after gjør. Predicative adjectives (after verbs like er, blir, gjør) stay in the base form:

Reisen er vanskelig.
But attributively before a definite noun, you’d use the -e form: den vanskelige reisen.

Could I say Uventet snø i mai gjør det vanskelig å reise instead?

Yes. That means “Unexpected snow in May makes it difficult to travel.” It’s a very natural alternative when you want to talk about travel in general rather than a specific journey.

Would tung or hard work instead of vanskelig?

Vanskelig = difficult (the default for tasks or conditions).
Tung = heavy/burdensome (physically or emotionally). En tung reise can work if you mean exhausting or burdensome.
Hard = hard/harsh/tough (more about severity or firmness) and is less common with reise. You’ll more often see tøff for “tough” conditions.
For general difficulty, stick with vanskelig.

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

snø: ø is a rounded vowel, similar to the vowel in British “bird,” but with rounded lips.
gjør: gj is pronounced like English y; ø as above; the whole word roughly like “yor” with rounded lips.
vanskelig: sk before e/i/y/ø/æ sounds like English “sh” (here it’s in -ske-), and final -ig is often pronounced like “-i”: roughly “VANSH-ke-li.”
mai: like English “my.”

Why isn’t mai capitalized?

In Norwegian, names of months and weekdays are not capitalized: mai, mandag.

Could I move i mai to the end: Uventet snø gjør reisen vanskelig i mai?

Grammatically yes, but the nuance shifts.

Uventet snø i mai gjør… ties “in May” closely to the snow (snow that occurs in May).
…vanskelig i mai ties the time more to when the journey is difficult. The first version is the most natural for this meaning.

Do I need any commas in this sentence?

No. It’s a simple main clause with standard word order and no embedded clauses, so no comma is required.