Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Vi slår leir tidlig slik at vi rekker å rulle ut soveposene før det blir mørkt. - We set up camp early so that we manage to roll out the sleeping bags before it gets dark.

In this sentence you can’t replace it with a direct translation like «*vi slår camp» in English; it’s just a standard Norwegian idiom you should learn as a chunk: slå leir = make camp.

Could I say «Vi lager leir» instead of «Vi slår leir»?

You could be understood, but «Vi slår leir» is the natural, idiomatic way to say “We make camp”.

Alternatives you might hear, depending on context:

Vi slår leir her. – We’ll camp here.
Vi setter opp leir. – We’re setting up camp. (less common, more descriptive)
Vi camper her. – We’re camping here. (more casual/modern, from English)

«Vi lager leir» sounds a bit off or childlike, because «lage» is more “make/create” physically, and the fixed expression is really «slå leir».

What exactly does «slik at» mean, and how is it different from «sånn at» or «for at»?

In this sentence, «slik at» introduces a result or purpose:

Vi slår leir tidlig slik at vi rekker å rulle ut soveposene…
We make camp early so that we have time to roll out the sleeping bags…

Basic meanings:

slik at – so that / in such a way that
sånn at – very similar to slik at, but more informal/colloquial
for at – so that / in order that (focuses more clearly on intended purpose)

In this sentence, you could also say:

Vi slår leir tidlig sånn at vi rekker … (more casual)
Vi slår leir tidlig for at vi skal rekke å rulle ut soveposene …
(more explicit “in order that we will have time”)

Key point:

slik at / sånn at can describe both result and intended outcome.
for at is primarily about intention/purpose and typically takes skal or må:
- Jeg gjør dette for at du skal forstå. – I do this so that you will understand.

What does the verb «rekker» mean in «vi rekker å rulle ut soveposene»?

«Å rekke» has several meanings; here it means “to have enough time (to do something)”.

å rekke noe – to reach (physically)
- Jeg rekker ikke hylla. – I can’t reach the shelf.
å rekke noe – to make it in time / catch
- Jeg rakk toget. – I caught the train.
å rekke å gjøre noe – to have time to do something
- Vi rekker å spise før filmen. – We have time to eat before the movie.

So in the sentence:

vi rekker å rulle ut soveposene

means:

we have (enough) time to roll out the sleeping bags.

You could paraphrase it as:

…slik at vi har tid til å rulle ut soveposene… – so that we have time to roll out the sleeping bags.

Why is it «å rulle ut» here and not just «rulle ut»?

Because «rekker» is followed by an infinitive: å rulle (ut).

rekker + å + infinitive
- Vi rekker å spise. – We have time to eat.
- Jeg rakk ikke å svare. – I didn’t have time to answer.

So:

å rulle – to roll
å rulle ut – to roll out / unroll

In Norwegian, «å» before a verb is the marker of the infinitive, like “to” in English:

å spise – to eat
å sove – to sleep
å rulle ut – to roll out

You omit «å» after some modal-like verbs (kan, skal, vil, må, bør, osv.):

Vi skal rulle ut soveposene. – We will roll out the sleeping bags.
Vi kan rulle ut soveposene. – We can roll out the sleeping bags.

But after «rekke», you keep «å»:

Vi rekker å rulle ut soveposene. ✅
Vi rekker rulle ut soveposene. ❌ (ungrammatical)

What form is «soveposene», and how does the noun «sovepose» decline?

«Soveposene» is definite plural: “the sleeping bags”.

Declension of en sovepose (a sleeping bag):

Singular:
- indefinite: en sovepose – a sleeping bag
- definite: soveposen – the sleeping bag
Plural:
- indefinite: soveposer – sleeping bags
- definite: soveposene – the sleeping bags

So in the sentence:

…å rulle ut soveposene…
…to roll out the sleeping bags…

The -ene ending is a common definite plural ending for many masculine and feminine nouns:

en stol – stoler – stolene (chair)
ei bok – bøker – bøkene (book)
en sovepose – soveposer – soveposene (sleeping bag)

Why is it «før det blir mørkt» and not something like «før det er mørkt» or «før det mørkner»?

All three exist, but they have slightly different nuances:

før det blir mørkt
- literally: before it becomes dark / before it gets dark
- focuses on the change from light to dark, and the period leading up to that change.
- This is the most natural translation of “before it gets dark”.
før det er mørkt
- literally: before it is dark
- more like “before it is (already) dark”.
- Also possible, but sounds a bit more like a fixed state you’re trying to avoid being in.
før det mørkner
- literally: before it darkens
- more literary or stylistic; used, but less everyday in casual speech than «før det blir mørkt».

In everyday, neutral Norwegian, «før det blir mørkt» is the most typical way to say “before it gets dark.”

Why is there a «det» in «det blir mørkt»? What does this «det» refer to?

Here «det» is a dummy subject (also called an expletive). It doesn’t refer to any specific thing; it’s just needed because Norwegian (like English) usually wants an explicit subject.

Compare English:

It is raining. (The it doesn’t refer to anything concrete.)
It is getting dark.

Same in Norwegian:

Det regner.
Det snør.
Det blåser.
Det blir mørkt.

So:

det blir mørkt = it gets dark
(literally: it becomes dark)

The adjective mørk takes -t (mørkt) because the dummy pronoun det is neuter, and predicative adjectives agree with the grammatical gender of the subject.

Why is the verb «blir» in the present tense when it’s talking about the future (before it gets dark)?

Norwegian often uses present tense to talk about near or certain future, especially when there is a time expression:

Vi drar i morgen. – We leave tomorrow.
Hun kommer snart. – She is coming soon.
Det blir kaldt i kveld. – It will be cold tonight.

In this sentence: > før det blir mørkt

literally is “before it becomes dark”, but in context it’s clearly future relative to the time of making camp: “before it gets dark.”

You could use more explicit future-like constructions:

før det kommer til å bli mørkt
før det skal bli mørkt

but these sound heavier or more marked. Present tense is the natural, default choice here.

Why is the word order «slik at vi rekker å rulle ut…» and «før det blir mørkt», with the verb after the subject?

Because «slik at» and «før» are subordinating conjunctions: they introduce subordinate clauses, not main clauses.

In Norwegian:

Main clause: verb is normally in second position (V2):
- Vi slår leir tidlig. (Subject–Verb–Other)
- I dag slår vi leir tidlig. (Adverbial–Verb–Subject–Other)
Subordinate clause: subject usually comes before the verb:
- …at vi rekker å rulle ut soveposene… (that we have time to roll out…)
- …før det blir mørkt. (before it gets dark)

So:

slik at vi rekker … ✅ (subordinate: subject vi, then verb rekker)
før det blir mørkt ✅ (subordinate: subject det, then verb blir)

If you switched it to «*før blir det mørkt», that would sound like you’re starting a main clause, which is incorrect after «før» in this usage.

Could I say «Vi slår leir tidlig nok til at vi rekker å rulle ut soveposene…» instead of «slik at»? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say that, and it’s grammatical:

Vi slår leir tidlig nok til at vi rekker å rulle ut soveposene før det blir mørkt.

Difference in nuance:

slik at vi rekker…
- focus on result/purpose: so that we (will) have time…
- very common and neutral.
tidlig nok til at vi rekker…
- explicitly says “early enough for us to have time…”
- puts more emphasis on the sufficiency of “early”: it must be early enough.

Both mean almost the same here; «slik at» is just slightly more straightforward and common.

Do I need a comma before «slik at» in this sentence?

Modern Norwegian comma rules usually do not require a comma before short, integrated subordinate clauses, but you may use one to mark a pause.

So both of these are seen:

Vi slår leir tidlig slik at vi rekker å rulle ut soveposene før det blir mørkt. ✅
Vi slår leir tidlig, slik at vi rekker å rulle ut soveposene før det blir mørkt. ✅

The version without the comma is slightly more common in contemporary, informal writing. The version with the comma can emphasize the clause more or mirror a spoken pause.