Når jeg har på øretelefoner, hører jeg bare musikken min.

When I wear headphones, I hear only my own music.

Breakdown of Når jeg har på øretelefoner, hører jeg bare musikken min.

• jeg: I
• musikken: the music
• min: my
• når: when
• høre: to hear
• bare: only
• øretelefonen: the headphone
• ha på: to wear

Questions & Answers about Når jeg har på øretelefoner, hører jeg bare musikken min.

Why does Norwegian use har på here instead of a single verb meaning to wear?

Norwegian doesn’t have one basic everyday verb that covers to wear in all contexts like English does. Instead it often uses the combination å ha på (seg), literally to have on (oneself).

So in Når jeg har på øretelefoner, it literally means When I have headphones on ➝ When I’m wearing headphones.

Other related verbs:

• å ta på (seg) – to put on (clothes, headphones, etc.)
  • Jeg tar på meg øretelefoner = I put on headphones.
• å bruke – to use / to wear (more neutral, often for glasses, clothes in general)
  • Jeg bruker briller = I wear glasses.
• å gå med – literally to walk with, also used like wear
  • Hun går alltid med caps = She always wears a cap.

In this sentence, har på is the most natural way to express am wearing.

Do I need meg after har på? Can I say Når jeg har på meg øretelefoner?

Yes, Når jeg har på meg øretelefoner is also possible and quite natural.

Patterns you’ll see:

• With clothes:
  
  • Very common: Jeg har på meg en genser.
• With things like headphones, jewellery, etc.:
  • Both forms occur:
    
    • Jeg har på meg øretelefoner.
    • Jeg har på øretelefoner.

Leaving out meg is especially common in speech and informal writing. With øretelefoner both are acceptable; including meg sounds slightly more explicit/clear that it’s on your body, but there is no real change in meaning here.

Why is it øretelefoner without any article, and not øretelefonene?

Øretelefoner is plural indefinite (headphones in general).

Forms:

• en øretelefon – one earphone / ear piece
• øretelefoner – earphones/headphones (plural, indefinite)
• øretelefonene – the earphones/headphones (plural, definite)

In your sentence, you mean whenever I’m wearing headphones – not some specific, already-known pair. That’s why the indefinite plural without an article is used:

• Når jeg har på øretelefoner = When I have headphones on (in general)
• Når jeg har på øretelefonene = When I have the headphones on (some specific ones we both know about)

So the sentence uses the general, non-specific meaning.

Is øretelefoner the normal Norwegian word for headphones? What about hodetelefoner or ørepropper?

All of these exist, with slightly different typical uses:

• øretelefoner – literally ear-telephones.

  • Can refer to headphones/earphones in general.
  • Sounds a bit more technical or old-fashioned to some speakers; still correct.

• hodetelefoner – literally head-telephones.

  • Very common modern word for headphones that go over/around the head.

• ørepropper – ear plugs / earbuds.

  • Used for both noise-blocking plugs and in-ear earbuds, depending on context.

• headset – borrowed from English.

  • Often used for gaming, calls, with a microphone, etc.

So øretelefoner is correct, but in everyday speech many people might say hodetelefoner, ørepropper (if they’re in-ear), or headset, depending on the type.

Why is it Når and not Da or Hvis at the start of the sentence?

Norwegian distinguishes:

• når – when / whenever, used for:
  • present or future
  • repeated/general situations
• da – when for:
  • a single, specific event in the past
• hvis – if (conditional)

In Når jeg har på øretelefoner, you are talking about a general, repeated situation: Whenever I have headphones on …. That’s exactly the job of når.

You would not say:

• Da jeg har på øretelefoner – wrong here, because da is for one past event.
• Hvis jeg har på øretelefoner – would mean If I (happen to) have headphones on, focusing on a condition, not a habitual situation.

So Når is the natural choice.

Should there be a så after the comma? Like Når jeg har på øretelefoner, så hører jeg bare musikken min?

You can say:

• Når jeg har på øretelefoner, så hører jeg bare musikken min.

This is quite common in spoken Norwegian. The så here is a kind of linking word: when … then …

However, in standard written Norwegian, it’s very normal (and a bit more concise) to leave så out:

• Når jeg har på øretelefoner, hører jeg bare musikken min.

So both are grammatically correct; the version without så is simply more typical in writing.

Why are har and hører just in the simple present? English might say When I’m wearing, I’m only hearing / I only hear.

Norwegian doesn’t have a separate -ing / progressive tense like English. The simple present form covers both:

• habitual/general actions
• actions happening right now

So:

• Jeg har på øretelefoner.
  = I have headphones on.
  = I’m wearing headphones.

• Jeg hører musikken min.
  = I hear my music.
  = I’m hearing my music.

If you need to emphasize that something is happening right now, you usually do it with context or adverbs, not with a different verb form:

• Akkurat nå har jeg på øretelefoner. = Right now I’m wearing headphones.

Why is it hører jeg bare musikken min and not kan jeg bare høre musikken min?

Both are possible, but the nuance changes slightly:

• hører jeg bare musikken min
  = I only hear my music
  Focuses directly on what actually reaches your ears. It’s a straightforward statement about what you hear.

• kan jeg bare høre musikken min
  = I can only hear my music / I am only able to hear my music
  Emphasizes ability/possibility (what it is possible to hear).

In most contexts like your sentence, Norwegian prefers the straightforward hører rather than adding kan. English often adds can (“I can only hear …”), but Norwegian doesn’t need it unless you really want to stress possibility/ability.

Is hører musikken min correct without på? I’ve seen høre på musikk before.

Yes, hører musikken min is correct, and it’s slightly different from hører på musikken min.

General rule of thumb:

• å høre noe = to hear something (it reaches your ears, not necessarily intentional)
  • Jeg hører musikken. = I hear the music.
• å høre på noe = to listen to something (more active, intentional)
  • Jeg hører på musikk. = I’m listening to music.

In your sentence:

• hører jeg bare musikken min
  = I only hear my own music (that is the only sound reaching me)

If the focus were on the activity of listening to your music (ignoring others), you might say:

• Når jeg har på øretelefoner, hører jeg bare på musikken min.
• or more formal: … lytter jeg bare til musikken min.

So the version without på fits very well if you mean what I am (capable of) hearing through the headphones.

Why is bare placed before musikken min? Can it go in other positions?

Bare usually comes before the part of the sentence it limits (the thing that is only true).

In hører jeg bare musikken min, bare limits musikken min:

• hører jeg bare musikken min
  = I only hear my music (not other sounds)

Typical and natural positions for bare here:

• Når jeg har på øretelefoner, hører jeg bare musikken min. – very normal
• Når jeg har på øretelefoner, hører jeg musikken min bare. – possible, but sounds a bit odd or poetic.

You can also move bare to change what it applies to:

• Når jeg bare har på øretelefoner, hører jeg musikken min.
  = When I only have headphones on (and nothing else, maybe no speakers etc.), I hear my music.

So the position in your sentence is chosen because we want only to apply to musikken min.

Why is it musikken min and not min musikk?

Both musikken min and min musikk are grammatically correct, but they sound slightly different:

1. musikken min = the music of mine / my music

   • Definite noun + possessive after it
   • Very common, often neutral and conversational
   • Jeg hører bare musikken min. feels natural and everyday.

2. min musikk = my music (literally, possessive before noun, indefinite)

   • Often more emphatic, contrastive, or stylistic:
     • Jeg vil høre på min musikk, ikke din. = I want to listen to my music, not yours.
   • Can also feel a bit more formal or written.

In modern Bokmål, the pattern [definite noun] + [possessive] (like musikken min, boka hennes) is very common and often the most natural choice in sentences like this.

Why is the verb (hører) second in the main clause hører jeg bare musikken min?

Norwegian has a “verb-second” (V2) rule in main clauses: the finite verb usually comes in second position in the sentence.

Main clause here:

• (1) hører (2) jeg (3) bare musikken min

But look at the whole sentence:

• Når jeg har på øretelefoner, hører jeg bare musikken min.

The Når…-clause is a dependent clause placed at the beginning. After that clause, the first element of the main clause must be the verb hører:

• Når jeg har på øretelefoner, hører (V) jeg (subject) bare musikken min.

If there were no Når-clause, you’d more often say:

• Jeg hører bare musikken min når jeg har på øretelefoner.

Here, jeg is the first element, and hører is still in second position.

How do you pronounce øretelefoner and hører? Any tips for the ø sound?

Basic pronunciation (Bokmål-style):

• ø – a front rounded vowel, somewhat like the vowel in British English bird, but with rounded lips.
• øretelefoner – roughly:
  • [ØH-re-te-le-FOH-ner]
  • Stress mainly on -fo-: ø-re-te-FO-ner
• hører – roughly:
  • [HØH-rer] (or [HØR-er], depending on dialect)
  • Again with the ø sound.

To practice ø:

1. Say the vowel in “e” (as in bed) but move your tongue a bit further forward.
2. Now round your lips as if you’re saying “o”.
3. Keep the tongue in the “e” position while rounding your lips – that combined posture gives you something close to ø.

So in Når jeg har på øretelefoner, hører jeg bare musikken min, both øretelefoner and hører are good words to practice that ø sound.