Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Læreren skriver en kort overskrift på tavlen før vi leser neste avsnitt. - The teacher writes a short headline on the board before we read the next paragraph.

Læreren skriver en kort overskrift
can mean:
- The teacher writes a short heading (in general / regularly).
- The teacher is writing a short heading (right now).

Here, with før vi leser neste avsnitt, the context makes it clearly a right now action.

Why is it en kort overskrift and not something like en korte overskrift? How do adjectives agree with nouns?

In en kort overskrift:

overskrift is a common gender noun (like en overskrift).
For indefinite singular common-gender nouns, the adjective takes the base form:
- en kort overskrift = a short heading
- en ny bil = a new car
- en stor stol = a big chair

The form korte is used in:

definite singular:
- den korte overskriften = the short heading
plural:
- korte overskrifter = short headings

So en korte overskrift is incorrect; it must be en kort overskrift.

What exactly does overskrift mean? Is it more like title or headline?

overskrift usually means:

heading (in a text or on a worksheet)
headline (in a newspaper)
sometimes title (of a short section)

Some examples:

Avisens overskrift = the newspaper’s headline
Skriv en overskrift til hvert avsnitt = write a heading for each paragraph

If you mean the title of a book or a movie, you more often use tittel:

Boktittel = book title

In this sentence, en kort overskrift is best translated as a short heading (on the board, before reading the next paragraph).

Why is it på tavlen and not på tavle or i tavlen?

Three things are happening here:

Definite form
- tavle = board (a board)
- tavlen = the board
  We normally say på tavlen when we mean on the (classroom) board.
The preposition på
- på is used for something that is on a surface:
  - på bordet = on the table
  - på veggen = on the wall
  - på tavlen = on the board
Why not i tavlen?
- i generally means in / inside.
- Writing happens on the surface, so på is natural.

på tavle (without the -n) would sound like on board in a very general sense, but in real classroom context people say på tavlen or the colloquial på tavla.

What is the difference between tavlen and tavla?

Both mean the board (blackboard/whiteboard) in Bokmål, but:

tavlen: the more formal/standard written form
tavla: more colloquial and common in speech, and also fully accepted written Bokmål

Same noun in different forms:

en tavle = a board
tavlen / tavla = the board

So you could also say:

Læreren skriver en kort overskrift på tavla før vi leser neste avsnitt.

The meaning is the same.

Why is tavlen definite (the board), but en kort overskrift is indefinite (a short heading)?

This is about known vs new information:

tavlen = the board
- In a classroom, there is usually just one board.
- Everyone knows which board we mean.
- So it’s natural to use the definite form: på tavlen.
en kort overskrift = a short heading
- This is something the teacher is creating now.
- It is new information, not yet known to the listener.
- So we use the indefinite form: en.

This pattern is common:

Hun åpner vinduet. = She opens the window. (the one in the room)
Hun skriver en e-post. = She writes an e-mail. (a new one)

Why do we say før vi leser neste avsnitt and not før vi skal lese neste avsnitt? Is Norwegian using the present tense for the future here?

Yes. Norwegian very often uses present tense to talk about future events, especially with time words like:

før (before)
når (when)
etter at (after)

So:

før vi leser neste avsnitt
literally = before we read the next paragraph
functionally = before we will read the next paragraph

You can say:

før vi skal lese neste avsnitt,

but that often emphasises plan or intention. In everyday speech, før vi leser is more natural and completely normal for a future event that is about to happen.

Why is the word order før vi leser neste avsnitt and not før vi neste avsnitt leser?

In Norwegian subordinate clauses (clauses introduced by før, at, fordi, hvis, etc.), the basic word order is:

conjunction – subject – verb – (rest)

So:

før (conjunction)
vi (subject)
leser (verb)
neste avsnitt (rest)

Therefore:

før vi leser neste avsnitt is correct
før vi neste avsnitt leser is wrong word order in standard Norwegian.

In main clauses, Norwegian has the V2 rule (verb in second position), but in subordinate clauses the verb normally comes after the subject.

Could the sentence start with the før‑clause, like in English: Before we read the next paragraph, the teacher writes …?

Yes, very naturally. In fact, this is common and sounds good:

Før vi leser neste avsnitt, skriver læreren en kort overskrift på tavlen.

When you move the før‑clause to the front:

In the main clause that follows, the verb still must be in second position:
- skriver læreren … (verb skriver comes before subject læreren).

So you can choose:

Læreren skriver … før vi leser neste avsnitt.
Før vi leser neste avsnitt, skriver læreren …

Both are correct.

Why is it neste avsnitt and not det neste avsnittet?

Both are possible, but they differ slightly:

neste avsnitt (no article, noun indefinite)
- Very common when you mean the next paragraph in a sequence:
- før vi leser neste avsnitt = before we read the next paragraph
- Here, neste functions almost like next as a “built‑in” determiner.
det neste avsnittet (with article + definite noun)
- More emphatic or contrastive, e.g. that next paragraph (as opposed to another).
- You might use this if you want to highlight a specific next one:
  - det neste avsnittet er veldig vanskelig = the next paragraph is very difficult.

In instructions and everyday classroom speech, neste avsnitt (without extra det and without definite ending -et) is the most natural.

What does avsnitt mean exactly, and how is it different from paragraf or kapittel?

avsnitt = paragraph or section in a text (a block of text separated by line breaks/indentation).

et avsnitt = a paragraph
avsnittet = the paragraph

Other related words:

paragraf
- In legal texts or formal regulations, a paragraf is a numbered section (§1, §2, etc.).
- In everyday language, many people still say paragraf when they actually mean paragraph, but avsnitt is the neutral, general word.
kapittel
- et kapittel = a chapter (a larger division of a book or report).

So in a normal reading/textbook context, avsnitt is the right word for paragraph.

Why is it kort and not liten? Both mean small/short, right?

Norwegian distinguishes between physical size and length/duration:

liten = small in size/amount
kort = short in length or duration

For texts, meetings, movies, etc.:

en kort overskrift = a short heading (few words)
en kort tekst = a short text
en kort film = a short movie

For size:

en liten hund = a small dog
et lite hus = a small house

So en liten overskrift would sound a bit odd; en kort overskrift is the natural choice.

Why is it vi leser and not oss leser?

Norwegian, like English, has different pronouns for subject and object:

vi = we (subject form)
oss = us (object form)

Examples:

Vi leser neste avsnitt. = We read the next paragraph.
Læreren hjelper oss. = The teacher helps us.

In før vi leser neste avsnitt, vi is the subject of leser, so you must use vi, not oss.