Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Når jeg betaler skatt av inntekten, prøver jeg likevel å være økonomisk og rolig. - When I pay tax on my income, I still try to be economical and calm.

Når is used:
- For things that happen regularly or repeatedly
  - Når jeg betaler skatt … = Whenever / when I pay tax …
- For future events
  - Når jeg blir gammel, skal jeg reise mye. = When I get old, I will travel a lot.
Da is used:
- For a single event in the past
  - Da jeg betalte skatt i fjor, ble jeg overrasket.
    When I paid tax last year, I was surprised.

In this sentence, paying tax is presented as a regular / general situation, so Når is correct, not Da.

Why is there a comma after inntekten?

The sentence starts with a subordinate clause:

Når jeg betaler skatt av inntekten, …
(When I pay tax on the income, …)

In Norwegian, the rule is:

If a subordinate clause comes first in the sentence, you normally put a comma after it.

So:

Når jeg betaler skatt av inntekten, prøver jeg … ✅
Jeg prøver å være økonomisk og rolig når jeg betaler skatt av inntekten. ✅
(No comma before når when the main clause comes first.)

Why is it prøver jeg and not jeg prøver after the comma?

Norwegian has a V2 (verb-second) word order rule in main clauses:

The finite verb (here: prøver) must be in second position.

When the sentence begins with something that is not the subject (for example, a time clause like Når jeg betaler skatt av inntekten), that entire element counts as position 1. Then the verb must come next:

Position 1: Når jeg betaler skatt av inntekten (subordinate clause)
Position 2: prøver (verb)
Then: jeg likevel å være økonomisk og rolig

So:

Når jeg betaler skatt av inntekten, prøver jeg likevel … ✅
Når jeg betaler skatt av inntekten, jeg prøver likevel … ❌ (breaks V2 rule)

Can I move likevel to another place, like Når jeg betaler skatt av inntekten, likevel prøver jeg å være …?

You have some flexibility, but not every position sounds natural.

Common and natural options are:

Når jeg betaler skatt av inntekten, prøver jeg likevel å være økonomisk og rolig. ✅
(Most typical; likevel after the subject.)
Når jeg betaler skatt av inntekten, prøver jeg å være økonomisk og rolig likevel. ✅
(likevel at the very end; also natural.)

Less natural or marked:

Når jeg betaler skatt av inntekten, likevel prøver jeg å være økonomisk og rolig.
This is understandable but sounds a bit awkward or literary.

General guideline:

In neutral speech, place likevel:
- after the verb or the subject (jeg likevel prøver, prøver jeg likevel)
- or at the end of the clause.

What exactly does likevel mean here?

Likevel is usually translated as nevertheless, still, or even so.

In this sentence, it expresses contrast:

Paying tax might make you feel worried or less free financially.
Likevel says: despite that, I still try to be economical and calm.

So the sense is:

Even though I’m paying tax on my income, I still try to be economical and calm.

Why is it skatt without an article? Why not en skatt?

Skatt (tax) here is used as an uncountable / mass noun, referring to the concept of tax in general, not a specific one.

In Norwegian, like in English:

Jeg betaler skatt. = I pay tax. ✅
Jeg betaler en skatt. ❌ (would sound like “I pay a tax”, which is unusual unless you specify a particular kind of tax.)

You can say:

Jeg betaler inntektsskatt. = I pay income tax.
Jeg betaler eiendomsskatt. = I pay property tax.

But skatt by itself, in this kind of sentence, is normally used without an article.

Why is it inntekten (definite form) and not just inntekt?

Inntekt means income (in general).
Inntekten means the income (a specific income, usually my income in this context).

Skatt av inntekten literally = tax of the income → understood as tax on my income.

If you said:

skatt av inntekt
Grammatically possible, but it sounds more abstract or incomplete, like tax of income in a very general sense.

Using inntekten signals:

We are talking about a concrete, known income → usually the speaker’s income.

Why is it av inntekten and not på inntekten?

Both av and på can be used around this idea, but with slightly different nuances and patterns.

skatt av noe – more literal: tax of something
skatt på noe – more like English tax on something

In modern Norwegian, skatt på inntekt(en) is more common in standard phrases:

skatt på inntekt / skatt på inntekten = tax on income / on the income

Skatt av inntekten is still understandable and not wrong, but sounds a bit more literal or old-fashioned in some contexts.

So you will very often see:

Jeg betaler skatt på inntekten min.
I pay tax on my income.

What does økonomisk mean here? Is it the same as economic in English?

Økonomisk can correspond to two different English words, depending on context:

Economic (relating to the economy or economics)
- økonomisk krise = economic crisis
Economical / thrifty (careful about spending money)
- å være økonomisk = to be economical / to be careful with money

In this sentence:

å være økonomisk means to be economical / to manage money carefully, not to be economic in the macro sense.

So the meaning is:

I try to be careful with money.

What does rolig mean here?

Rolig usually means:

calm, relaxed, quiet, composed

In this context, rolig refers to the speaker’s emotional state while paying tax:

å være rolig = to remain calm / not stressed / not upset

So the combination:

å være økonomisk og rolig
= to be economical and calm
→ to handle money sensibly and not get stressed or angry.

Why is it å være økonomisk og rolig after prøver?

After verbs like prøve (try), begynne (begin), slutte (stop), like (like), etc., Norwegian typically uses the infinitive with å:

prøve å + infinitive

Here:

prøver (try)
å være (to be)
økonomisk og rolig (adjectives describing jeg)

So the structure is:

prøver (verb)
jeg (subject)
likevel (adverb)
å være (infinitive marker + infinitive verb)
økonomisk og rolig (predicative adjectives)

Literally:

I try nevertheless to be economical and calm.

Can I leave out the second jeg and just say … prøver likevel å være økonomisk og rolig?

No, you generally cannot drop the subject pronoun jeg here.

Norwegian normally requires an explicit subject in finite clauses, unlike some languages where it can be omitted.

Correct:

Når jeg betaler skatt av inntekten, prøver jeg likevel å være økonomisk og rolig. ✅

Incorrect / ungrammatical in standard Norwegian:

Når jeg betaler skatt av inntekten, prøver likevel å være økonomisk og rolig. ❌

Every main clause needs a subject, even if it is the same person as in the previous clause.