Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Når vi spiser middag, setter jeg på rolig musikk.

The clause «Når vi spiser middag» is a subordinate clause (introduced by når).
After that subordinate clause, the whole clause counts as position 1.
In the main clause that follows, the finite verb must come in position 2, so we get «setter jeg på rolig musikk»:
- 1: Når vi spiser middag
- 2: setter
- 3: jeg
- 4: på rolig musikk

So:

✅ Når vi spiser middag, setter jeg på rolig musikk.
❌ Når vi spiser middag, jeg setter på rolig musikk. (breaks the V2 rule)

What is the difference between «når» and «da» here?

Both can translate as “when”, but they’re used differently:

når
- Used for repeated / general actions (habitual) and also for future time.
- Example: Når jeg er trøtt, legger jeg meg tidlig. – “When I’m tired, I go to bed early.”
da
- Used for a single event in the past.
- Example: Da jeg kom hjem, lagde jeg mat. – “When I came home, I made food.”

In «Når vi spiser middag, setter jeg på rolig musikk», this is a repeated situation (every time we eat dinner), so når is correct.
Using da here would sound wrong unless you changed the whole sentence to refer to one specific event in the past, e.g.:

Da vi spiste middag, satte jeg på rolig musikk. – “When we ate dinner (that time), I put on calm music.”

Why are the verbs in the present tense if I’m talking about a general habit?

Norwegian often uses the simple present tense to talk about:

actions happening now, and
repeated / habitual actions, and
scheduled or typical future actions.

So:

Vi spiser middag klokka seks. – “We eat dinner at six.” (every day / usually)
Når vi spiser middag, setter jeg på rolig musikk. – “When we eat dinner, I put on calm music.” (habit)

You don’t need a special tense for “used to” or “usually” here; the present tense plus context already gives the habitual meaning.

Why is it «spiser middag» and not something like «har middag»?

In Norwegian, the common idiom for “have/eat dinner” is:

å spise middag – literally “to eat dinner”.

Using å ha middag is possible but has a slightly different feel; it’s more like:

å ha middag – “to host / to have a dinner event”, “to have people over for dinner”.

So for everyday eating the meal, you normally say:

Vi spiser middag klokka seks. – “We have dinner at six.”
Når vi spiser middag, ... – “When we have dinner, ...”

What exactly does «setter på» mean here, and how is it different from other verbs like «slår på» or «skrur på»?

Å sette på is a particle verb meaning roughly “to put on / start / turn on (something that will play or run)”. Common uses:

sette på musikk – put on music
sette på en film – put on a movie
sette på kaffen – put the coffee on (start the coffee maker)

Other similar verbs:

slå på / skru på – “turn on” (a device: lights, TV, radio, etc.)
- slå på lyset – turn on the light
- skru på TV-en – turn on the TV

In this sentence:

setter jeg på rolig musikk focuses on starting the music / putting some music on, not just flipping a switch on a device.

Can I say «Når vi spiser middag, jeg setter på rolig musikk» like in English “When we eat dinner, I put on…”?

No. That sounds ungrammatical in Norwegian.

Because of the V2 rule:

The verb in the main clause must be in second position.
When you start a sentence with a subordinate clause (Når vi spiser middag), that clause occupies the first position.
The next element must therefore be the finite verb, setter, not the subject jeg.

So:

✅ Når vi spiser middag, setter jeg på rolig musikk.
❌ Når vi spiser middag, jeg setter på rolig musikk.

Why is there a comma after «Når vi spiser middag»?

The comma separates a subordinate clause from the main clause.

Når vi spiser middag – subordinate clause (a time clause introduced by når)
setter jeg på rolig musikk – main clause

Rule of thumb in written Norwegian:

If a subordinate clause comes first, you normally put a comma after it.
If it comes after the main clause, you usually don’t add a comma before it in simple sentences.

So you could also say:

Jeg setter på rolig musikk når vi spiser middag. (no comma needed here)

Why is it «rolig musikk» and not «rolig musikken»?

Norwegian articles work differently from English:

rolig musikk – calm music in general (no article; indefinite / generic)
rolig musikken – the calm music (a specific calm music that both speaker and listener know about)

In your sentence we’re talking about any calm music, not a particular previously mentioned playlist or album, so:

✅ rolig musikk – “calm music” (in general)
❌ rolig musikken – “the calm music” (too specific here unless context demands it)

Why is there no article before «middag» and «musikk»?

Two slightly different reasons:

middag
- With meals, Norwegian often drops the article when you talk about them in a general, routine way:
  - Vi spiser middag. – “We are having dinner.”
  - Jeg skal lage middag. – “I’m going to make dinner.”
- You’d only use an article if you specify which dinner:
  - Middagen er klar. – “The dinner is ready.”
musikk
- musikk is usually treated like a mass/uncountable noun when you mean music in general.
- So you normally say:
  - Jeg liker rolig musikk. – “I like calm music.”
- Use musikken when it’s a specific, known music:
  - Jeg liker musikken i den filmen. – “I like the music in that movie.”

Can I say «setter jeg rolig musikk på» instead of «setter jeg på rolig musikk»?

Not really; that word order is unnatural with this verb.

Å sette på is a fixed particle verb. The particle på usually goes:

right after the verb if the object is long or complex, or
right after the object if the object is a short pronoun.

So:

✅ Jeg setter på rolig musikk.
✅ Jeg setter den på. – “I put it on.”
❌ Jeg setter rolig musikk på. (can sometimes be heard in speech, but sounds clumsy)
❌ Jeg setter jeg rolig musikk på. (wrong in several ways: V2 and particle placement)

For musikk, the natural version is «setter på rolig musikk».

Why is it «vi» and «jeg», not «oss» and «meg»?

Norwegian, like English, has subject and object forms of pronouns:

Subject forms: jeg, du, han, hun, vi, dere, de
Object forms: meg, deg, ham, henne, oss, dere, dem

You need subject forms for the subject of a verb:

Når vi spiser middag, ... – we eat dinner → vi = subject form.
... setter jeg på rolig musikk. – I put on music → jeg = subject form.

You’d use oss / meg only as objects:

Han ser oss. – “He sees us.”
Han kjenner meg. – “He knows me.”

Could I use «mens» instead of «når» here?

You could, but it changes the nuance slightly.

når vi spiser middag – “when we eat dinner / whenever we eat dinner”
- Focus on the point/occasion in time; also strongly suggests a repeated situation.
mens vi spiser middag – “while we eat dinner”
- Focus on two actions happening at the same time (during the meal).

So:

Når vi spiser middag, setter jeg på rolig musikk.
→ Every time we eat dinner, I (at some point) put on calm music.
Mens vi spiser middag, hører vi på rolig musikk.
→ While we’re eating dinner, we listen to calm music (throughout the meal).

In your original sentence, når is the more natural choice.

How do you pronounce «Når vi spiser middag, setter jeg på rolig musikk»?

Very roughly (using English-like hints):

Når – a bit like “nor” but with a shorter o, and a tapped/flapped r.
vi – like English “vee”.
spiser – SPY-ser (but with a long ee: SPEE-ser).
middag – MI-dag; the dd is often pronounced like a soft d or almost like r, and in many accents the final g is very weak or almost silent: MI-da or MI-dar.
setter – SET-ter, both t’s pronounced, short e.
jeg – usually sounds like “yai” (like English “y-eye”).
på – like English “paw” but with a clearer o.
rolig – ROO-lig (oo as in “food”; final g often very soft or almost k depending on dialect).
musikk – mu- like in “music”, but stress on -sikk: mu-SIKK.

Spoken quickly, many sounds get shorter and more connected, but this gives you a workable approximation.