Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Neste gang vil jeg være mer tålmodig og skrive ned spørsmålene mine på forhånd. - Next time I will be more patient and write down my questions in advance.

Why does the sentence start with Neste gang and then put jeg after vil (i.e. Neste gang vil jeg …) instead of Neste gang jeg vil …?

Norwegian word order changes when you start a sentence with something that is not the subject.

The basic order is:
Jeg vil være mer tålmodig.
(Subject – Verb – Other stuff)
If you put an adverbial expression (like Neste gang = Next time) first, Norwegian uses inversion:
Neste gang vil jeg være mer tålmodig.
(Adverbial – Verb – Subject – Other stuff)

So:

Neste gang vil jeg … = “Next time will I …” (literally), which is correct Norwegian.
Neste gang jeg vil … is not correct here; it looks like the start of a subordinate clause (“the next time when I want to…”), which is a different structure.

Why is vil used here? Is this a future tense like “will” in English, and could I use skal instead?

Norwegian doesn’t have a dedicated future tense like English. It often uses:

Present tense for the future, especially when something is planned or scheduled.
- Jeg reiser i morgen. = “I am leaving tomorrow.”
Vil
- infinitive, often for intention, willingness, or a more “neutral” future.
- Neste gang vil jeg være mer tålmodig.
  → “Next time I will be more patient.”
  This expresses an intention: “I want / intend to be more patient next time.”
Skal
- infinitive, often for plans, obligations, or arrangements.
- Neste gang skal jeg være mer tålmodig.
  This is also possible, but can sound a bit more like a firm commitment or promise: “Next time I shall / am going to be more patient.”

Both vil and skal can work here, but vil emphasizes your wish/intention, whereas skal can sound slightly stronger or more like a decision/plan.

Why is it vil være and not vil å være?

After modal verbs in Norwegian, you do not use å before the verb.

Common modal verbs: vil, skal, må, kan, bør, får.

So you say:

Jeg vil være tålmodig. (not vil å være)
Jeg kan snakke norsk. (not kan å snakke)
Jeg må gjøre leksene mine. (not må å gjøre)

Å appears before infinitives in other cases:

Jeg liker å lese.
Det er viktig å være tålmodig.

What is the function of mer in mer tålmodig? Why not tålmodigere?

Norwegian has two ways to form the comparative of adjectives:

Adding -ere:
- tålmodig → mer tålmodig (not tålmodigere)
- snill → snillere
- billig → billigere
Using mer (“more”) before the adjective:
- interessant → mer interessant
- komfortabel → mer komfortabel

For tålmodig, you normally use mer tålmodig, not tålmodigere. Some adjectives strongly prefer mer rather than the -ere ending, especially many longer or “complex” adjectives, and tålmodig is one of them.

So:

mer tålmodig = “more patient” (correct)
tålmodigere = not natural in standard Norwegian.

Why is it skrive ned and not just skrive?

Skrive ned is a phrasal verb meaning to write down (to note something somewhere, so you remember it).

skrive alone is simply to write (in general).
- Jeg liker å skrive. = “I like to write.”
skrive ned means “write something down” (onto paper, into a file, etc.).
- Jeg må skrive ned telefonnummeret.
  = “I have to write down the phone number.”

In your sentence:

skrive ned spørsmålene mine
focuses on noting the questions somewhere (e.g., on a piece of paper) beforehand, not just “write” in a general sense.

Why is it spørsmålene mine and not mine spørsmål?

Norwegian has two common positions for possessive pronouns:

Before the noun (indefinite noun):
- mine spørsmål = “my questions” (general, indefinite)
- mitt hus = “my house”
- min venn = “my friend”
After the noun (definite noun + possessive):
- spørsmålene mine = “the questions of mine” / “my questions (these specific ones)”
- huset mitt = “my (the) house”
- vennen min = “my (the) friend”

In spørsmålene mine:

spørsmål = “question”
-ene = definite plural ending → spørsmålene = “the questions”
mine = “my”

Putting the possessive after the noun (with the definite ending) often sounds more natural and specific in everyday Norwegian.

You could also say mine spørsmål; it is grammatically correct but can sound a bit more neutral or “listing”/formal, depending on context. Spørsmålene mine fits well with “those particular questions I have”.

What is the role of -ene in spørsmålene?

-ene is the definite plural ending for many neuter and feminine nouns in Norwegian.

et spørsmål = “a question”
spørsmål = “questions” (plural, indefinite)
spørsmålene = “the questions” (plural, definite)

So spørsmålene mine literally means “the questions mine”, which corresponds to “my questions”.

Why is the possessive pronoun mine and not min or mitt?

The form of the possessive pronoun agrees with the number (singular/plural) and gender (for singular) of the noun:

Singular:
- en-words: min (my)
  min bil = my car
- et-words: mitt (my)
  mitt hus = my house
Plural (all genders):
mine
- mine bøker = my books
- mine spørsmål = my questions

Since spørsmål is plural in spørsmålene mine, we need the plural form mine:

spørsmålene mine = “my questions”

What does på forhånd literally mean, and why use på here?

På forhånd is a fixed expression meaning in advance or ahead of time.

på = literally “on”
forhånd = roughly “beforehand / in advance”

As a phrase, på forhånd is idiomatic. You don’t translate it word by word; you just learn it as a chunk meaning “beforehand / ahead of time”.

Examples:

Takk på forhånd. = “Thanks in advance.”
Kan du si fra på forhånd? = “Can you let me know in advance?”
Jeg vil skrive ned spørsmålene mine på forhånd. = “I will write down my questions in advance.”

Why is there no comma before og in … være mer tålmodig og skrive ned spørsmålene …?

In Norwegian, you usually don’t put a comma before og when it connects:

Two verbs with the same subject in the same clause:
- Jeg vil være mer tålmodig og skrive ned spørsmålene mine.
- Subject: jeg
- Verbs: være and skrive

You would use a comma before og if it connects two main clauses:

Jeg var sliten, og jeg gikk hjem tidlig.
(Two full clauses: jeg var sliten
- jeg gikk hjem tidlig)

In your sentence, it’s just one subject (jeg) with two actions, so no comma is needed.

Why is it være mer tålmodig and not an adverb form like in English “be more patiently”?

Norwegian works like English here: after være (“to be”), you normally use an adjective, not an adverb.

English: be patient, be careful, not “be patiently” or “be carefully” (when describing a state).
Norwegian: være tålmodig, være forsiktig, not være tålmodig
- adverb form.

So:

være mer tålmodig = “be more patient”
(tålmodig is an adjective describing jeg)
An adverb would be used with an action verb, like snakke tålmodig (“speak patiently”), but not with være.

Can I drop vil and just say Neste gang er jeg mer tålmodig og skriver ned spørsmålene mine på forhånd?

You can, but the nuance changes:

Neste gang vil jeg være mer tålmodig …
Emphasizes your intention or plan (“I will / want to be more patient next time.”).
Neste gang er jeg mer tålmodig …
Sounds more like you’re describing a fact about the future situation, similar to English “Next time I am more patient …”
It can sound a bit less like a promise or resolution and more like a confident statement.

Both can be used about future events, but with slightly different tones. Using vil here clearly signals a resolution or intention.