Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Læreren sier at vi kan bruke scener fra teaterstykket når vi skriver egne metaforer. - The teacher says that we can use scenes from the play when we write our own metaphors.

So Læreren sier … literally means “The teacher says …”.
The capital L is only because it’s at the beginning of the sentence, not because it’s a proper name.

What does at do in sier at vi kan bruke …? Is it like English “that”?

Yes. at is a conjunction that introduces a subordinate clause, and it works much like English “that” in sentences like:

Læreren sier at … = The teacher says that …
Jeg tror at … = I think that …

Unlike English, you usually do not omit at in standard written Norwegian.
In English you can say “The teacher says we can …”, but in Norwegian you normally keep at: Læreren sier at vi kan …

Why is it vi kan bruke and not kan vi bruke after at?

This is about word order in subordinate clauses.

In main clauses, Norwegian is verb‑second (V2), so you can get:
- Vi kan bruke … (subject–verb)
- I dag kan vi bruke … (adverbial–verb–subject)
In subordinate clauses (after at, når, fordi, hvis, etc.), the typical order is:
- subject – verb – (other stuff)

So after at, we use:

at vi kan bruke (subject vi comes before the verb kan)

*at kan vi bruke would be ungrammatical in standard Norwegian.

Why is it kan bruke and not kan å bruke or kan bruker?

kan is a modal verb (like English can, must, should).
In Norwegian, modal verbs are followed by the bare infinitive of the main verb:

kan bruke = can use
må skrive = must write
vil lese = want to read / will read

You do not add å after a modal:

✅ kan bruke
❌ kan å bruke

You also do not use the present tense form after a modal:

✅ kan bruke
❌ kan bruker

What is the difference between bruke and bruker?

They are different forms of the same verb å bruke (to use):

bruke = infinitive (the dictionary form; used after modals like kan, må, vil, or after å)
- Vi kan bruke scener … = We can use scenes …
- Jeg liker å bruke metaforer. = I like to use metaphors.
bruker = present tense
- Vi bruker scener fra teaterstykket. = We use scenes from the play.

In your sentence, kan forces bruke (infinitive), not bruker.

Why is it scener and not scenene?

scene is a noun:

en scene = a scene
scener = scenes (indefinite plural)
scenene = the scenes (definite plural)

In bruke scener fra teaterstykket, we are talking about scenes in general from that play, not some specific set of scenes that both speaker and listener have already singled out. So the indefinite plural scener is natural here:

scener fra teaterstykket = scenes from the play

If you said scenene fra teaterstykket, that would sound like “the scenes from the play”, more specific: a known set of scenes.

What exactly does teaterstykket mean, and why does it end in -et?

teaterstykke is a neuter noun meaning a (theatre) play:

et teaterstykke = a play
teaterstykket = the play

The ending -et is the definite singular ending for most neuter nouns. So:

fra teaterstykket = from the play

Literally, the phrase scener fra teaterstykket is “scenes from the play”.

Why is it når in når vi skriver egne metaforer and not da or hvis?

Norwegian has three common time/condition words English often translates as when or if:

når = when / whenever (general, repeated, or future time)
da = when (one specific event in the past)
hvis = if (condition)

In your sentence, we’re talking about what we do whenever/when we write our own metaphors (a general situation), so når is correct:

… når vi skriver egne metaforer.

Examples to contrast:

Da jeg var liten, bodde jeg i Oslo.
When I was small (one specific past period)…
Hvis vi skriver egne metaforer, lærer vi mer.
If we write our own metaphors, we learn more.
Når vi skriver egne metaforer, kan vi bruke scener fra teaterstykket.
When(ever) we write our own metaphors, we can use scenes from the play.

Why is the word order når vi skriver egne metaforer and not når skriver vi egne metaforer?

Again, this is about subordinate clause word order.

After når, you have a subordinate clause, so the normal pattern is:

subject – verb – (rest)

So we say:

når vi skriver egne metaforer
- subject: vi
- verb: skriver
- rest: egne metaforer

If you said når skriver vi egne metaforer, it would sound like a question in a main clause:
“When do we write our own metaphors?”
In the original sentence, it is not a question, but a time clause inside a larger sentence, so når vi skriver … is correct.

What does egne mean, and why does it have an -e?

egne is from the adjective egen, which means own (as in my own, your own).

Adjectives in Norwegian agree with the noun in number and (for the definite form) take -e:

egen metafor = own metaphor (singular, indefinite)
egne metaforer = own metaphors (plural, indefinite)
de egne metaforene = the own metaphors (plural, definite)

In egne metaforer, the noun metaforer is plural, so the adjective takes the plural/definite ending -e:

egne
- metaforer = own metaphors

Why is it metaforer and not metaforene?

metafor is a noun:

en metafor = a metaphor
metaforer = metaphors (indefinite plural)
metaforene = the metaphors (definite plural)

In the sentence, we are talking about “our own metaphors” in general, not some specific, previously mentioned set of metaphors:

egne metaforer = our own metaphors (in general)

If you said egne metaforene, that would be “our own metaphors” but referring to a particular set that both people know about: “those specific metaphors of ours.” That would be unusual in this context.

How do you pronounce some of these words: Læreren, teaterstykket, metaforer?

Approximate pronunciations (standard Eastern Norwegian; stressed syllable in CAPS):

Læreren ≈ LAIR-uh-ren
- æ like the a in “cat” but longer
- final -en is weak: -uhn
teaterstykket ≈ teh-AH-ter-STY-kkeh
- teater ≈ teh-AH-ter
- stykket ≈ STY-kkeh (with y like the French u in “tu”, lips rounded)
metaforer ≈ meh-ta-FOO-rer
- meta ≈ MEH-ta
- forer ≈ FOO-rer (again o like oo in “food”, but shorter)

These are simplified; real pronunciation will vary slightly by dialect.