Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Det å skrive dagbok hjelper meg å forstå meg selv. - Writing a diary helps me understand myself.

«Det å skrive dagbok …» treats the whole phrase more clearly as a thing (a noun phrase): “The act of writing a diary …”
«Å skrive dagbok …» is closer to English “Writing a diary …” and is also very common, especially in spoken language and informal writing.

The «det» here is not translated directly; it’s a kind of dummy subject that helps turn «å skrive dagbok» into a clearer subject:

Det å trene hver dag er viktig. – “(The act of) exercising every day is important.”

So you can say:

Det å skrive dagbok hjelper meg …
Å skrive dagbok hjelper meg …

Same meaning; «det å» just sounds a bit more nominal and sometimes slightly more formal or explicit.

What exactly is the function of «det» in «Det å skrive dagbok hjelper …»? Is it like English “it”?

It’s similar to English “it” in sentences like “It is important to exercise”, but in Norwegian this «det» is directly attached to an infinitive phrase.

In «Det å skrive dagbok hjelper meg …»:

«det» = a dummy/anticipatory subject
«å skrive dagbok» = an infinitive phrase that describes an activity

Together they form the subject of the sentence:

Subject: Det å skrive dagbok
Verb: hjelper
Object: meg
Infinitive phrase: å forstå meg selv

You normally don’t translate this «det» into English; it’s part of the Norwegian structure for making an action into a subject.

Why is there no article in «skrive dagbok»? Why not «skrive en dagbok»?

In Norwegian, «å skrive dagbok» is a fixed expression meaning “to keep a diary / to write in a diary (as a habit)”. When talking about an activity in general, Norwegian often drops the article:

skrive dagbok – keep a diary
spille fotball – play football (soccer)
spille piano – play the piano
drikke kaffe – drink coffee

If you say «skrive en dagbok», it sounds like:

“to write a diary (one complete diary)” – more like producing a diary as a finished product, which is unusual in everyday speech.

To talk about your physical diary, you would normally say:

skrive i dagboka mi – write in my diary
skrive i en dagbok – write in a diary (not specifying whose, more literal)

What gender is «dagbok», and how would the full forms with articles look?

«Dagbok» is a feminine noun in meaning, but in Bokmål you can choose between common gender and feminine forms. The most neutral/common-gender declension is:

en dagbok – a diary
dagboka – the diary
dagbøker – diaries
dagbøkene – the diaries

If you use explicitly feminine endings (also correct in Bokmål):

ei dagbok – a diary
dagboka – the diary (same as common gender)
dagbøker – diaries
dagbøkene – the diaries

In the expression «å skrive dagbok», you see no article because it’s the bare singular form used for a general activity.

Why is «å» repeated before «forstå»? Can you say «hjelper meg forstå meg selv»?

In standard Bokmål, you normally repeat «å» before each infinitive verb in a sequence unless they are very tightly connected:

Det å skrive dagbok hjelper meg å forstå meg selv.

Here:

hjelper = conjugated verb
å forstå = infinitive; it needs «å»

After verbs like «hjelpe», it is correct and most natural to include «å»:

Dette hjelper meg å lære. – “This helps me (to) learn.”

You can sometimes hear «hjelper meg forstå» in informal speech, influenced by English, but in written Norwegian and careful speech, «hjelper meg å forstå» is the recommended form.

What’s the difference between «meg» and «meg selv» in «å forstå meg selv»?

«meg» = me (object pronoun)
«meg selv» = myself (reflexive with emphasis)

The phrase «å forstå meg selv» literally means “to understand myself”, focusing on understanding your own inner life, personality, thoughts, etc.

If you only said «å forstå meg», it would usually sound incomplete here. It suggests “to understand me” in general (as another person understands you), not you understanding yourself.

Other examples:

Jeg prøver å forstå meg selv. – I’m trying to understand myself.
Kan du forstå meg? – Can you understand me? (you = someone else)

So «meg selv» is the correct and natural reflexive form in this meaning.

How does «meg selv» change with other persons? For example, “yourself”, “himself”, “themselves”?

The pattern is:

meg selv – myself
deg selv – yourself (singular)
seg selv – himself / herself / itself / themselves
oss selv(e) – ourselves
dere selv(e) – yourselves (plural)

Examples:

Jeg prøver å forstå meg selv. – I’m trying to understand myself.
Du prøver å forstå deg selv. – You’re trying to understand yourself.
Han prøver å forstå seg selv. – He is trying to understand himself.
De prøver å forstå seg selv. – They are trying to understand themselves.

In the third person, you use «seg selv» (not ham selv, hun selv, etc., in this reflexive meaning).

Could you also say «Det å skrive dagbok hjelper meg med å forstå meg selv»? What’s the difference?

Yes, «hjelper meg med å forstå meg selv» is also correct.

«hjelper meg å forstå …» – slightly more direct, very common
«hjelper meg med å forstå …» – adds «med», similar to English “helps me with understanding …”

In practice, the meaning difference is tiny here. Both are natural.
Some speakers prefer:

«hjelpe noen å gjøre noe» – help someone (to) do something
«hjelpe noen med noe» – help someone with something (a noun or -ing-like phrase)

But with «å forstå», both «hjelper meg å forstå» and «hjelper meg med å forstå» sound idiomatic.

Is the word order «hjelper meg å forstå meg selv» fixed, or can I move «meg selv»?

The natural order is:

hjelper meg å forstå meg selv

You cannot split «meg selv» or move «selv» away from «meg»:

❌ hjelper meg å forstå selv meg – incorrect
❌ hjelper meg selv å forstå meg – wrong meaning/order

«meg selv» functions as a unit: pronoun + selv. It normally stands right after the infinitive verb:

å forstå meg selv
å akseptere seg selv
å utfordre seg selv

Could I use another construction like «Dagbokskriving hjelper meg å forstå meg selv»? Is that natural?

Yes, that’s also correct and natural:

Dagbokskriving hjelper meg å forstå meg selv.
– “Diary-writing helps me to understand myself.”

Here «Dagbokskriving» is a noun derived from the verb (verb → noun), similar to English “diary-writing”.

Differences in nuance:

Det å skrive dagbok … – slightly more concrete, “The act of writing a diary …”
Dagbokskriving … – a more abstract, compact noun; feels a bit more formal or written.

All of these are fine:

Det å skrive dagbok hjelper meg å forstå meg selv.
Å skrive dagbok hjelper meg å forstå meg selv.
Dagbokskriving hjelper meg å forstå meg selv.

Could the sentence be in another tense, like «har hjulpet meg»? How would that change the meaning?

Yes, you can change the main verb «hjelper» to another tense:

Det å skrive dagbok har hjulpet meg å forstå meg selv.
– “Writing a diary has helped me to understand myself.”

Difference:

hjelper (present): a general truth or ongoing effect
- Writing a diary helps me (now / in general).
har hjulpet (present perfect): focuses on past experience and result
- Up to now, writing a diary has helped me.

The structure around it («Det å skrive dagbok … å forstå meg selv») stays the same; only the tense of «hjelpe» changes.