Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Når jeg leser til eksamen, er konsentrasjon viktigere enn alle små distraksjoner. - When I study for the exam, concentration is more important than all the small distractions.

å lese literally means to read, but in an academic context it also means to study.
til here expresses purpose or goal (study towards/for the exam).

Saying studerer for en eksamen sounds unnatural and is not idiomatic. You could say studerer medisin, studerer juss, etc., but for exam preparation specifically, Norwegians say lese til eksamen.

Why is there no article before eksamen? Why not til en eksamen or til eksamenen?

Norwegian often drops the article when talking about things in a general or institutional way:

til eksamen = to/for exams in general, or the situation of exams, not one specific identified exam
til en eksamen = to/for an exam (some exam, one of several, more specific)
til eksamenen = to/for the (specific) exam we both know about

In this sentence, the focus is on the activity of exam study in general, not on one particular, identified exam, so eksamen is used without an article. This is similar to expressions like:

på skolen (at school)
på jobb (at work)
på eksamen (in the exam / at the exam situation)

Why is there a comma after Når jeg leser til eksamen?

In Norwegian, a subordinate clause (leddsetning) that comes before the main clause must be followed by a comma.

Når jeg leser til eksamen = subordinate clause (introduced by når)
er konsentrasjon viktigere enn alle små distraksjoner = main clause

Rule:
If a subordinate clause comes first → comma between it and the main clause.

So:

Når jeg leser til eksamen, er konsentrasjon viktigere … ✅
Når jeg leser til eksamen er konsentrasjon viktigere … ❌ (wrong in standard written Norwegian)

Why is it Når jeg leser til eksamen and not Da jeg leser til eksamen?

Both når and da can mean when, but:

når is used for:
- repeated or general situations
- also for future time
da is used for:
- a single event in the past

In this sentence, we are talking about a general habit/situation (whenever I am studying for an exam), not one specific past event, so når is correct.

Examples:

Når jeg leser til eksamen, drikker jeg kaffe.
When(ever) I study for exams, I drink coffee. (general/repeated)
Da jeg leste til eksamen i fjor, drakk jeg mye kaffe.
When I studied for the exam last year, I drank a lot of coffee. (one specific past time)

Why is the word order er konsentrasjon viktigere instead of konsentrasjon er viktigere?

Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb is always in second position.

Here, the first element is the entire subordinate clause:

Når jeg leser til eksamen (counts as position 1)
Then comes the verb of the main clause: er
Then the subject: konsentrasjon

So:

Neutral main clause: Konsentrasjon er viktigere enn alle små distraksjoner.
With a fronted subordinate clause: Når jeg leser til eksamen, er konsentrasjon viktigere enn alle små distraksjoner.

Both have the verb in second position in their own clause. The inversion (er konsentrasjon) after når ... is required by standard word-order rules.

Why does konsentrasjon have no article? Why not Konsentrasjonen er viktigere …?

In Norwegian, abstract and mass nouns can be used without an article when you talk about them in a general sense:

Konsentrasjon er viktigere enn …
Concentration is more important than … (concentration in general)

If you say:

Konsentrasjonen er viktigere enn …

it sounds more like you mean a specific instance of concentration (for example, the concentration you have right now in this situation).

Here the meaning is general – concentration as a quality/ability – so the bare noun konsentrasjon is natural. Other examples:

Tålmodighet er viktig. (Patience is important.)
Kunnskap er makt. (Knowledge is power.)

How does viktigere enn work? Is enn the same as English than?

Yes. enn in Norwegian is the comparison word equivalent to English than.

Positive: viktig (important)
Comparative: viktigere (more important)
Superlative: viktigst (most important)

Structure:

[adjective in comparative] + enn + [thing you compare with]

So:

konsentrasjon er viktigere enn alle små distraksjoner
= concentration is more important than all small distractions.

A few more examples:

Han er eldre enn meg.
Det er bedre enn ingenting.

Why is it alle små distraksjoner and not alle småe distraksjoner?

The adjective liten is irregular:

Singular:
- masculine/feminine: liten
- neuter: lite
Plural (all genders): små

So in the plural you always use små, not liten/lite and not småe:

små distraksjoner (small distractions)
små barn (small children)
små problemer (small problems)

Adding -e (småe) is wrong here; små is already the correct plural form.

Why do we use alle with distraksjoner? Could we say alle små distraksjonene instead?

In the sentence you have:

alle små distraksjoner = all small distractions (in general, any such distractions)

Forms:

alle + indefinite plural = a general statement about all items of that kind
- alle små distraksjoner
- alle gode venner
alle de små distraksjonene = all the small distractions (specific group we both know about)

You could say:

… er viktigere enn alle de små distraksjonene.

Then the meaning shifts slightly to a particular set of distractions in a given situation. The original version is more general and abstract: all little distractions in general.

Why is små placed before distraksjoner? Could it come after?

In Norwegian, most descriptive adjectives come before the noun:

små distraksjoner (small distractions)
viktige eksamener (important exams)

There is a separate group of adjectives that can come after the noun (predicative position), like in huset er stort, but in noun phrases the default order is:

[determiner] + [adjective] + [noun]

So here:

alle (determiner)
små (adjective)
distraksjoner (noun)

You cannot say distraksjoner små in this context; that would be ungrammatical in standard Norwegian.

Could I say Mens jeg leser til eksamen instead of Når jeg leser til eksamen? What is the difference?

Both are possible, but they have slightly different nuances:

Når jeg leser til eksamen …
Focus on whenever/when this situation happens (general condition or time).
Mens jeg leser til eksamen …
Focus on during the time while I am studying for the exam.

So:

Når jeg leser til eksamen, er konsentrasjon viktigere enn alle små distraksjoner.
= In the situations when I am studying for an exam, concentration is more important…
Mens jeg leser til eksamen, er konsentrasjon viktigere enn alle små distraksjoner.
= During the period while I’m studying for an exam, concentration is more important…

In practice, the difference is subtle here, and both would be understood almost the same, but når sounds a bit more like a general condition.

The verb leser is in the present tense. Does this refer to the future or to a general habit?

Norwegian present tense is used for:

Present time (right now)
General truths / habits
Planned future actions (especially with time expressions)

Here it expresses a general habit or repeated situation:

Når jeg leser til eksamen, …
= Whenever I’m studying for an exam / whenever I study for exams.

So although the activity might be in the future or repeated, Norwegian still uses present tense (leser) instead of a special “when I will study” form.