Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Vi sitter i lenestolene og leser hverandres tekster i stillhet, så vi kan konsentrere oss. - We sit in the armchairs and read each other’s texts in silence, so we can concentrate.

If the furniture has a kind of inside you sink down into (armchair, sofa), you use i.
If you sit on top of a flat surface (stool, bench, hard chair), you often use på.

So Vi sitter i lenestolene suggests you’re sitting in the armchairs, which fits their shape and how they’re used.

Why is it lenestolene (the armchairs) and not just lenestoler (armchairs)?

Norwegian uses the definite form (with the ending -en / -ene) more often than English uses the.

You choose definite plural lenestolene when:

The armchairs are known or specific to the people speaking (for example, the armchairs in this room, the usual ones you sit in).
The context makes it clear which armchairs you are talking about.

Indefinite plural lenestoler would fit more in a context like:

Det er mange lenestoler her. – There are many armchairs here. (Introducing them, not specific ones you already know.)

In this sentence, it sounds like we’re talking about particular, familiar armchairs, so lenestolene is natural.

Why is it hverandres tekster and not hverandre sine tekster?

Both exist, but they have slightly different style and use.

hverandres tekster = each other’s texts (genitive -s form)
- More neutral/standard written style.
- Concise and fits well in formal and informal writing.
hverandre sine tekster = literally each other their texts
- More colloquial and spoken.
- Common in everyday speech, especially in dialects, but often avoided in very formal writing.

So:

Vi leser hverandres tekster. – We read each other’s texts. (good standard form)
Vi leser hverandre sine tekster. – Also understandable, but sounds more dialectal / informal.

What exactly is hverandres grammatically?

hverandre = each other / one another.
To make a possessive (each other’s), Norwegian usually adds -s:

hverandre → hverandres = each other’s

So hverandres tekster literally means the texts that belong to each other (to one another).

Compare:

vi → våre tekster – our texts
de → deres tekster – their texts
hverandre → hverandres tekster – each other’s texts

Why is it hverandres tekster, not hverandres tekstene?

In Norwegian, when you have a possessive in front of the noun, you normally make the noun indefinite:

min tekst (not min teksten) – my text
våre tekster (not våre tekstene) – our texts
hverandres tekster (not hverandres tekstene) – each other’s texts

So the pattern is:

possessive + indefinite noun

Using hverandres tekstene would be wrong because it’s a double definiteness clash: hverandres already makes it specific; you don’t add the definite ending -ene on tekster in that structure.

Could it also be hverandres tekst in the singular?

Yes, grammatically you can say hverandres tekst, but the meaning changes:

hverandres tekster = each other’s texts (plural; everyone has more than one, or you’re reading several texts from each person).
hverandres tekst = each other’s text (singular; each person has one text, and you’re reading that one).

In most realistic situations where several people are reading work they’ve written, tekster (plural) is more natural, but tekst is not wrong if you clearly mean one text per person.

Why does the sentence say i stillhet instead of just stille?

Both are possible, but they have slightly different flavor:

i stillhet = in silence (a noun phrase with a preposition)
- Slightly more formal or descriptive, creates a small scene: you picture the silence as a state/atmosphere you are in.
stille = quietly / silently (an adverb)
- More direct and neutral as an adverb describing how you read.

Compare:

Vi leser i stillhet. – We read in silence. (emphasizes the silent atmosphere)
Vi leser stille. – We read quietly. (describes the manner of reading)

In this sentence, i stillhet underlines the quiet environment as something intentional, which fits well with så vi kan konsentrere oss.

What does så vi kan konsentrere oss mean literally, and how does så work here?

Literally:

så – so / so that
vi kan – we can
konsentrere oss – concentrate (ourselves)

So: so (that) we can concentrate.

Here så introduces a result or purpose clause:

… i stillhet, så vi kan konsentrere oss.
= … in silence, so that we can concentrate.

You could also say slik at vi kan konsentrere oss, which is a bit more explicit/neutral:

… i stillhet, slik at vi kan konsentrere oss.

In many everyday contexts, så on its own is completely natural.

Could I say for å konsentrere oss instead of så vi kan konsentrere oss?

Yes, that’s also possible, but there is a nuance:

… i stillhet, for å konsentrere oss.
= … in silence, in order to concentrate.

This focuses more on purpose: the silence is for the purpose of concentrating.

… i stillhet, så vi kan konsentrere oss.
= … in silence, so that we can concentrate.

This can express both a purpose and a result. It implies:

We sit in silence, and the (intended) result is that we are able to concentrate.

Both are natural; for å feels a bit more compact and purely purpose-focused, så vi kan sounds a little more conversational and explanatory.

Why is it konsentrere oss, not konsentrere vi or konsentrere oss selv?

konsentrere seg is a reflexive verb in Norwegian:

å konsentrere seg – to concentrate (literally: to concentrate oneself)

The reflexive pronoun changes with the subject:

jeg konsentrerer meg – I concentrate
du konsentrerer deg – you concentrate
han / hun / den / det konsentrerer seg – he / she / it concentrates
vi konsentrerer oss – we concentrate
dere konsentrerer dere – you (plural) concentrate
de konsentrerer seg – they concentrate

So after vi kan, you must use the infinitive form konsentrere plus the reflexive pronoun oss:

vi kan konsentrere oss

konsentrere vi is wrong; there’s no reflexive pronoun there.

konsentrere oss selv would sound strange and too literal (like concentrate ourselves in a heavy way). With reflexive verbs, you normally just say konsentrere oss.

Why is it Vi sitter i lenestolene og leser instead of something like Vi er og leser to show an ongoing action?

Norwegian does not use a separate continuous tense like English am reading / are reading.

Present tense leser can mean both:

We read, and
We are reading (right now)

To emphasize that an action is ongoing while you’re sitting, Norwegian often uses a construction:

[position verb] + og + [main verb]

Common position verbs:

sitter – sit
står – stand
ligger – lie
går – walk/go

Examples:

Vi sitter og leser. – We are sitting and reading.
Han står og snakker i telefonen. – He is standing (there) talking on the phone.
Hun ligger og sover. – She is lying down sleeping.

So Vi sitter i lenestolene og leser is a natural way of describing an ongoing situation, similar to English We are sitting in the armchairs, reading.

Can I say Vi leser hverandres tekster i stillhet without sitter i lenestolene?

Yes, that’s perfectly grammatical and meaningful:

Vi leser hverandres tekster i stillhet.
= We read each other’s texts in silence.

The original sentence just adds extra information about how and where:

Vi sitter i lenestolene – describes our physical position and location.
og leser hverandres tekster i stillhet – describes what we’re doing and how.

You can freely drop or add parts as long as the grammar stays consistent:

Vi sitter i lenestolene i stillhet. – We sit in the armchairs in silence.
Vi leser hverandres tekster. – We read each other’s texts.
Vi sitter i lenestolene og leser hverandres tekster. – We sit in the armchairs and read each other’s texts.

Is the word order så vi kan konsentrere oss fixed, or could it be så kan vi konsentrere oss?

Both are possible, but there is a difference in feel:

så vi kan konsentrere oss
- Treats så as a conjunction introducing a subordinate clause.
- Word order is subject + verb: vi kan.
- Very natural and common in writing and speech.
så kan vi konsentrere oss
- Now så is more like an adverb, and the following is a main clause.
- Word order after så is verb first (V2 rule): kan vi.
- Sounds a bit more like: and then we can concentrate / so, then we are able to concentrate – slightly more step‑by‑step or narrative.

In your sentence, … i stillhet, så vi kan konsentrere oss is the most natural if you want to express so that we can concentrate as a single purpose/result clause.