Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Mental helse er viktig for alle. - Mental health is important for everyone.

Why is there no article before mental helse? In English we say mental health, but we don’t say a mental health either. How does this work in Norwegian?

In Norwegian, helse can be used like an uncountable, abstract noun, just like health in English.

Mental helse er viktig.
= Mental health is important. (no article in either language)

You would only use an article (en/ei) if you were talking about a specific, countable instance of health, which is rare:

Helsen min er dårlig. = My health is bad. (definite form with -en)

For general statements about health as a concept, Norwegian normally uses the bare noun: helse, not en helse.

Why is it mental helse and not mentale helse? Don’t adjectives usually take an -e ending?

You’re right that most native Norwegian adjectives take an -e ending in front of an indefinite plural noun or a definite noun (and sometimes after a possessive).

However, mental here is a loanword adjective and part of a kind of fixed phrase. In modern usage:

mental helse is the standard, set expression
mentale helse is possible in some contexts, but sounds less idiomatic in this specific phrase

Think of mental here almost like the first part of a compound noun, similar to:

fysisk helse (physical health)
psykisk helse (mental/psychological health – actually more common than mental helse)

So while adjective agreement is a real rule, set phrases and some loanwords can behave a bit differently. The natural choice is mental helse.

Why is helse in the indefinite form (helse) and not in the definite form (helsa / helsen)?

The sentence is making a general statement about health as a concept, not talking about some specific, known health:

Mental helse er viktig
= Mental health is important (in general)

For general truths or general categories, Norwegian often uses the indefinite singular:

Vann er viktig. = Water is important.
Utdanning er viktig. = Education is important.

The definite form of helse would be used when you mean someone’s particular health:

Helsen hennes er viktig. = Her health is important.

What gender is helse, and does that affect anything in this sentence?

In Bokmål, helse is usually treated as a masculine noun:

en helse – helsen (indefinite – definite)

It can also be used as feminine in some varieties (ei helse – helsa), but masculine is the most standard.

In this sentence, the gender doesn’t visibly affect anything because:

there is no article (en/ei) in front of helse
the adjective viktig is in predicative position (er viktig), where it has the same form for masculine, feminine, and neuter singular

So you don’t see any gender marking here, even though helse is grammatically masculine in standard Bokmål.

Why is it er viktig and not something like just viktig without er?

Norwegian, like English, normally needs a verb in a full sentence. Er is the present tense of å være (to be) and acts as a linking verb:

Mental helse (subject)
er (verb to be)
viktig (predicative adjective describing the subject)

You cannot drop er in a normal statement like this:

❌ Mental helse viktig for alle. (incorrect as a full sentence)
✅ Mental helse er viktig for alle.

Dropping er only happens in very special contexts (headlines, notes, etc.), not in regular sentences you’re learning at this level.

Why is the adjective viktig not changing form? Shouldn’t it agree with helse somehow?

Norwegian adjectives have different forms depending on:

gender/number (en/ei, et, plural)
position (before a noun vs. after er, blir, etc.)

When the adjective comes after the verb to be (predicative position), the singular form is:

viktig for all three genders (masc./fem./neuter)

Examples:

Helsen er viktig. (masc./fem. noun)
Arbeidet er viktig. (neuter noun)
Saken er viktig. (fem. or masc. noun)

So viktig is already the correct, “base” predicative form and doesn’t change here.

Why do we use for in viktig for alle? Could you say viktig til alle instead?

In Norwegian, viktig normally combines with the preposition for to express “important for someone/something”:

viktig for meg = important for me
viktig for kroppen = important for the body
viktig for alle = important for everyone

Using til here would be wrong:

❌ viktig til alle (incorrect)
✅ viktig for alle

So you can remember the pattern:
viktig + for + person/thing affected.

What exactly does alle mean here? Is it all or everyone, and can it be used both ways?

Alle is a pronoun meaning everyone or all (people) in this context:

Mental helse er viktig for alle.
= Mental health is important for everyone. / …for all.

Norwegian alle can mean:

everyone (all people)
all when it’s clear we’re talking about people

Some related forms:

alle barn = all children
alle er her = everyone is here
for alle = for everyone

You could also say for alle mennesker (for all people), but it isn’t necessary; alle alone is natural.

Could the sentence also be Psykisk helse er viktig for alle? Is there a difference between mental and psykisk?

Yes, you can absolutely say:

Psykisk helse er viktig for alle.

In everyday Norwegian, psykisk helse is actually more common and often sounds more natural than mental helse when talking about mental health in general.

Difference in nuance:

psykisk helse – very common in public health discussions, everyday speech, campaigns, etc.
mental helse – also correct, sometimes slightly more technical or influenced by English

In most general contexts, if you’re learning Norwegian, psykisk helse is the safer, more idiomatic choice.

Is the word order Mental helse er viktig for alle fixed, or can it be changed?

The normal, neutral word order is:

Mental helse (subject)
er (verb)
viktig (predicative adjective)
for alle (prepositional phrase giving extra information)

You cannot move things around freely. Some variations:

For alle er mental helse viktig.
– Grammatically correct, but sounds more marked/emphatic, like you’re stressing for everyone.
❌ Er mental helse viktig for alle.
– Incorrect as a statement (this looks like the start of a question).

So for ordinary, neutral speech and writing, stick to:

Mental helse er viktig for alle.