Jeg prøver å sitte i lenestolen når jeg jobber, fordi stolen ved pulten er for hard.

I try to sit in the armchair when I work, because the chair by the desk is too hard.

Breakdown of Jeg prøver å sitte i lenestolen når jeg jobber, fordi stolen ved pulten er for hard.

• jeg: I
• være: to be
• å: to
• jobbe: to work
• i: in
• fordi: because
• når: when
• prøve: to try
• sitte: to sit
• ved: by
• stolen: the chair
• lenestolen: the armchair
• pulten: the desk
• for hard: too hard

Questions & Answers about Jeg prøver å sitte i lenestolen når jeg jobber, fordi stolen ved pulten er for hard.

Why is it prøver å sitte and not just prøver sitte?

In standard written Norwegian, most verbs in the infinitive need å in front of them.

• Jeg prøver å sitte = I try to sit
• The infinitive is å sitte.

You normally drop å only after modal verbs like:

• kan (can) – jeg kan sitte
• skal (shall/will) – jeg skal sitte
• må (must) – jeg må sitte
• vil (want to) – jeg vil sitte

After prøver you keep å: prøver å sitte is the normal written form.

Why is it i lenestolen and not på lenestolen?

Norwegian often uses i for things you “sit in” (where you are a bit inside or surrounded), and på for things you sit on top of.

Typical patterns:

• i lenestolen – in the armchair (you “sink into” it)
• i sofaen – in the sofa
• i senga – in bed

But:

• på stolen – on the chair (simple chair)
• på benken – on the bench

So i lenestolen is natural because an armchair is something you sit “in”, not “on”.

Why is it lenestolen and not en lenestol?

Norwegian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun:

• en lenestol = an armchair
• lenestolen = the armchair

Here the speaker means a specific, known armchair (probably the usual comfy one at home or in the office), so the definite form lenestolen is used.

If they just meant any old armchair, they could say:

• Jeg prøver å sitte i en lenestol når jeg jobber …
  but that sounds more general and less natural in this context.

What exactly does når jeg jobber mean, and how is it different from mens jeg jobber?

In this sentence, når jeg jobber means “when(ever) I work”, in a general or habitual sense.

• når
  • present tense often expresses a repeated or typical situation:
    
    • Jeg drikker kaffe når jeg jobber. – I drink coffee when I work.

mens focuses more on at the same time as, during the period:

• Jeg sitter i lenestolen mens jeg jobber. – I sit in the armchair while I’m working.

Here, når jeg jobber sounds like “on occasions when I’m working / whenever I work”, which fits the idea of a habit or preference.

Why is there a comma before fordi?

Norwegian almost always puts a comma between two clauses, even when English wouldn’t.

• Jeg prøver å sitte i lenestolen når jeg jobber, fordi stolen ved pulten er for hard.

We have:

1. Main clause: Jeg prøver å sitte i lenestolen når jeg jobber
2. Subordinate clause: fordi stolen ved pulten er for hard

The rule: put a comma between the main clause and a subordinate clause introduced by words like fordi (because), at (that), hvis (if), mens (while), etc.

Why is the word order fordi stolen ved pulten er for hard and not fordi er stolen ved pulten for hard?

In subordinate clauses (like the one introduced by fordi), the normal order is:

subject – verb – rest

So:

• fordi stolen ved pulten er for hard
  
  • subject: stolen ved pulten
  • verb: er
  • rest: for hard

The “inverted” order (verb in second place) happens in main clauses, e.g.:

• Derfor er stolen ved pulten for hard. – Therefore the chair by the desk is too hard.

After fordi, you keep the subject before the verb: fordi stolen … er …, not fordi er stolen ….

What does ved pulten mean exactly, and how is it different from på pulten?

• ved pulten means by the desk / at the desk (near it, next to it).
• på pulten means on the desk (on top of its surface).

So:

• stolen ved pulten – the chair by the desk
• boka ligger på pulten – the book is lying on the desk

In the sentence, ved pulten places the chair next to the desk, where you would normally sit to work.

What is the difference between pulten and skrivebordet?

Both can translate as desk, but there are nuances:

• pult:

  • Often used for a school desk (student’s desk)
  • Also used more generally in everyday speech for many kinds of desks

• skrivebord:

  • Literally “writing-table”
  • Often used for an office/home desk, maybe a bit more formal/neutral

In many everyday contexts, Norwegians might use either, but pult can sound a bit more like a personal work desk, especially in a school or study setting.

Does for hard mean “for hard” like in English, or “too hard”?

In this context, for hard means “too hard” (excessively hard), not for hard.

With adjectives and adverbs, for often means too:

• for kald – too cold
• for dyr – too expensive
• for fort – too fast

If you wanted very hard, you would say:

• veldig hard / svært hard – very hard

So stolen ved pulten er for hard = the chair by the desk is too hard.

Is jeg jobber different from jeg arbeider, and which one is more natural here?

Both jobber and arbeider mean “work”, but there is a style difference:

• jobber (from å jobbe)

  • More informal, everyday, very common in speech
  • Works in almost all contexts

• arbeider (from å arbeide)

  • Slightly more formal or written
  • Often used in official or formal language

In your sentence, når jeg jobber is the most natural, everyday choice.

Could you also say jeg prøver å jobbe i lenestolen instead of jeg prøver å sitte i lenestolen når jeg jobber?

Yes, but the focus changes slightly:

• Jeg prøver å sitte i lenestolen når jeg jobber

  • Focuses on where you sit when you work.

• Jeg prøver å jobbe i lenestolen

  • Focuses more on working while being in the armchair as an activity, perhaps experimenting with working there instead of at the desk.

Both are grammatical, but the original sentence makes a clear contrast between the two different chairs.

What is the difference between sitte and sette meg, and could we use sette meg here?

• sitte = to be in a sitting position (state)
• sette seg (reflexive: sette meg, sette deg, etc.) = to sit down, to move into the sitting position (action).

Your sentence talks about how you are positioned while you work, as an ongoing state:

• Jeg prøver å sitte i lenestolen når jeg jobber … – I try to be sitting in the armchair when I work.

If you said:

• Jeg prøver å sette meg i lenestolen når jeg jobber …
  it would sound like you’re repeatedly trying to sit down in the armchair during the time you’re working, which is odd.

So sitte is the correct and natural choice here.