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Opprinnelig hadde hun en trygg heltidsjobb, men nå trives hun bedre i en deltidsjobb.

Opprinnelig hadde hun en trygg heltidsjobb, men nå trives hun bedre i en deltidsjobb.
Originally she had a secure full-time job, but now she enjoys a part-time job more.
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Questions & Answers about Opprinnelig hadde hun en trygg heltidsjobb, men nå trives hun bedre i en deltidsjobb.

What does opprinnelig mean, and can it go in other positions in the sentence?

Opprinnelig means originally / at first / to begin with. It refers to how the situation was before it changed.

In this sentence:

  • Opprinnelig hadde hun en trygg heltidsjobb = Originally she had a secure full-time job.

You can move opprinnelig to a few other natural positions:

  • Hun hadde opprinnelig en trygg heltidsjobb.
  • Hun hadde en opprinnelig trygg heltidsjobb is not natural here (that would sound like an original/initially secure job, describing the job in a strange way).

So normally opprinnelig modifies the whole situation, not the noun jobb, and it comes:

  • At the start of the sentence, or
  • Right after the verb or subject in the main clause.
Why is it hadde (simple past) and not har hatt (present perfect)?

Hadde is the simple past (preterite) of å ha (to have). Norwegian often prefers simple past when English might use the present perfect:

  • Hun hadde en trygg heltidsjobb = She used to have / had a secure full-time job (before, but not now).

You could say:

  • Hun har hatt en trygg heltidsjobb = She has had a secure full-time job.

…but that focuses more on her experience at some point in her life, not so clearly on the contrast then vs now.

Because the sentence strongly contrasts past and present:

  • Opprinnelig hadde hun ... men nå trives hun ...

the simple past hadde is the most natural choice.

Why is it en trygg heltidsjobb and not something like en heltids trygg jobb?

In Norwegian, the standard order is:

  1. Indefinite article: en / ei / et
  2. Adjective: trygg
  3. Noun (including any compound): heltidsjobb

So:

  • en trygg heltidsjobb = a secure full-time job

You cannot normally split heltidsjobb:

  • en heltids trygg jobb ❌ (unnatural)
  • en trygg heltidsjobb ✅

The adjective trygg comes right before the noun (or compound noun) it describes. Heltidsjobb itself is a single compound noun (see next question).

Why is heltidsjobb written as one word?

Norwegian loves compound nouns; when two nouns function as one unit, they are usually written together:

  • heltid (full time) + jobb (job) → heltidsjobb (full-time job)
  • deltid (part time) + jobb (job) → deltidsjobb (part-time job)

Writing them as two words:

  • heltids jobb ❌
  • deltids jobb ❌

would be seen as a spelling mistake. Native speakers intuitively read heltidsjobb and deltidsjobb as single words that name specific types of jobs.

What exactly does trives mean, and how is it different from liker?

Å trives means to thrive / feel good / feel comfortable / enjoy being somewhere or in a situation. It’s about overall well-being.

  • Hun trives i en deltidsjobb.
    = She thrives / feels good / is happy in a part-time job.

Å like is more general: to like (to enjoy something, to have a positive feeling about it):

  • Hun liker deltidsjobben sin.
    = She likes her part-time job.

Difference in nuance:

  • trives = You feel at ease and happy in that environment or arrangement.
  • liker = You simply like it; it doesn’t necessarily say how well you function or feel there.

In this sentence, trives focuses on her well-being and satisfaction in the new job situation.

Why is it trives hun and not hun trives after nå?

Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb (here trives) must be in the second position in the sentence, no matter what comes first.

  • First position: Nå (an adverb meaning now)
  • Second position: trives (the verb)
  • Then the subject: hun

So:

  • Nå trives hun bedre ... ✅
  • Nå hun trives bedre ... ❌ (breaks V2 rule)

If you remove nå, the order is:

  • Hun trives bedre i en deltidsjobb.
Why is the present tense used in trives hun bedre while hadde hun is in the past?

The sentence contrasts:

  • A past situation: hadde hun en trygg heltidsjobb (she had a secure full-time job)
  • A present situation: nå trives hun bedre i en deltidsjobb (now she thrives better in a part-time job)

So:

  • hadde = past state that is no longer true
  • trives = present state that is true now

Using different tenses makes the time contrast then vs now clear.

Why is it i en deltidsjobb and not med en deltidsjobb?

In Norwegian, when you talk about being in a job / position / role, i is very common:

  • Hun trives i jobben sin. = She thrives in her job.
  • Han er i en deltidsstilling. = He is in a part-time position.
  • Hun trives i en deltidsjobb. = She thrives in a part-time job.

Med would usually suggest together with or having/using something:

  • Hun trives med kollegene sine. = She enjoys being with her colleagues.
  • Han trives med mye ansvar. = He likes having a lot of responsibility.

So i en deltidsjobb is natural when you mean in that job situation/position.

What does bedre mean, and why is it used instead of something like mer bra?

Bedre means better. It is the comparative form of bra (good):

  • bra = good
  • bedre = better
  • best = best

So:

  • Hun trives bedre i en deltidsjobb.
    = She thrives better in a part-time job. / She feels better in a part-time job.

You do not say mer bra here:

  • Hun trives mer bra ... ❌
  • Hun trives bedre ... ✅

Bra → bedre is an irregular comparative, just like good → better in English.

Why is the adjective trygg in that exact form, and not trygge or trygt?

Trygg is the base form of the adjective trygg (safe / secure). In en trygg heltidsjobb:

  • jobb is a masculine noun

  • In the indefinite singular (with en), the adjective takes its base form:

    • en trygg jobb
    • en trygg heltidsjobb

Other forms:

  • ei trygg stilling (feminine)
  • et trygt miljø (neuter)
  • trygge jobber (plural)
  • den trygge jobben (definite singular: the secure job)

So trygg is correct here because it matches en ... jobb (masculine, indefinite, singular).