Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg skriver handlelisten med blyant, så jeg kan bruke viskelæret senere. - I write the shopping list with a pencil so I can use the eraser later.

Many speakers treat feminine nouns as masculine in Bokmål, especially in writing, so en handleliste / handlelisten is very common.
In more spoken/colloquial Bokmål you’ll also often hear handlelista.

Why is handlelisten written as one word and not handle liste?

Norwegian normally writes noun–noun combinations as one compound word:

handle (to shop) + liste (list) → handleliste (shopping list)
hus (house) + nøkkel (key) → husnøkkel (house key)

Writing handle liste would be incorrect; it would look like two separate words: to shop and list, not a single concept.

Why is there no article before blyant? Why not med en blyant?

When you talk about the instrument you use to do something, Norwegian usually leaves out the article:

skrive med blyant = write in/with pencil
skrive med penn = write with a pen
skrive på PC = write on computer

Med en blyant is possible, but it sounds more like “with a (particular) pencil,” emphasizing one specific pencil. Here the focus is on the medium (pencil vs pen), not on a specific individual pencil, so med blyant is natural.

Why do we use med with blyant here?

Med often marks the means or instrument used to perform an action:

Jeg skriver med blyant. – I write with a pencil.
Han spiser med skje. – He eats with a spoon.
Vi reiser med tog. – We travel by train.

So med blyant literally means “with pencil / by means of pencil.”

Why is there a comma before så?

Norwegian normally separates two independent main clauses with a comma:

Jeg skriver handlelisten med blyant,
så jeg kan bruke viskelæret senere.

Each part has its own subject and finite verb (jeg skriver, jeg kan), so they are two clauses joined by så, and they are divided by a comma.

What does så mean here, and does it affect word order?

Here så means “so” / “so that” / “therefore”, introducing a result. In this meaning, så works as a coordinating conjunction, and word order in the next clause is normal subject–verb:

så jeg kan bruke … (subject jeg, then verb kan)

If så meant “then” (a time adverb), you would normally get verb-second order after it:

Så kan jeg bruke viskelæret. – Then I can use the eraser.

So the meaning (result vs. time/sequence) controls whether så behaves like a conjunction or an adverb.

Why is it kan bruke and not kan bruker?

In Norwegian, modal verbs (like kan, må, vil, skal) are followed by the infinitive form of the main verb:

jeg kan bruke – I can use
jeg må gå – I must go
jeg vil lære – I want to learn

Only the modal verb is conjugated (kan); the next verb stays in the infinitive (bruke).
So kan bruker is incorrect.

Why is viskelæret in the definite form?

Viskelær is a neuter noun:

et viskelær – an eraser
viskelæret – the eraser

We use the definite form because the speaker has a particular eraser in mind (for example, the eraser on that pencil, or the eraser they normally use).
Using viskelær without the ending would mean just “an eraser” in a more generic sense, which doesn’t fit as well with the idea of saving the eraser for later.

What are the forms of viskelær?

Viskelær (eraser) is neuter:

Indefinite singular: et viskelær – an eraser
Definite singular: viskelæret – the eraser
Indefinite plural: viskelær – erasers
Definite plural: viskelærene – the erasers

Could senere be placed somewhere else, for example så jeg senere kan bruke viskelæret?

Yes. Norwegian adverbs like senere are quite flexible:

… så jeg kan bruke viskelæret senere. (most natural, neutral)
… så jeg senere kan bruke viskelæret. (slightly more formal/emphatic)
… så jeg kan senere bruke viskelæret. (possible, but less common)

Putting senere at the very end is usually the most natural in spoken Norwegian here.

Why is skriver in the present tense here? Could it also refer to the future?

Norwegian present tense is used for:

Actions happening now
Repeated/habitual actions
Planned or scheduled future actions (especially if the future meaning is clear from context)

So jeg skriver handlelisten med blyant can mean “I am writing the shopping list in pencil (now)” or describe a usual way of doing it.
If you want to clearly mark future, you can say:

Jeg skal skrive handlelisten med blyant … – I’m going to write the shopping list in pencil …