Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Når klærne blir våte, skifter vi til tørre sokker på uteplassen. - When the clothes get wet, we change into dry socks on the outdoor area.

når = when / whenever in:
- general truths or habits (things that can happen many times)
- future time
da = when in:
- a single, specific event in the past

In this sentence we’re talking about a general rule or routine: whenever the clothes get wet, we do X. That’s why når is used, not da.

If it described one specific event in the past, you might use da instead, for example:

Da klærne ble våte, skiftet vi til tørre sokker.
(One particular time in the past.)

Why is it klærne and not just klær?

Klær means clothes (indefinite plural).
Klærne means the clothes (definite plural).

So:

klær = clothes (in general, not specified)
klærne = the clothes (the ones we’re talking about, for example the ones we are wearing)

In this sentence, klærne refers to a specific set of clothes (the clothes we have on), so the definite form is natural.

What exactly does blir mean here? Why not er?

Blir våte literally means “become wet / get wet.”

blir våte focuses on the change from dry to wet.
er våte would describe the state of already being wet: are wet.

So:

Når klærne blir våte …
= When the clothes get wet (at the moment they become wet)…

If you said:

Når klærne er våte, skifter vi …
it would mean When the clothes are wet, we change… – still understandable, but it emphasizes the state (they’re already wet) rather than the moment they become wet. For a rule about what we do when this happens, blir sounds more natural.

Why is the order skifter vi and not vi skifter after the comma?

This is the V2 word order rule in Norwegian main clauses:

In a main clause, the finite verb must be in second position.
Anything can be in first position (subject, adverb, a whole subordinate clause), but then the verb must come next.

Here the first position is the entire Når- clause:

Når klærne blir våte, ← position 1 (subordinate clause)
skifter ← position 2 (verb)
vi ← position 3 (subject)

So:

Correct: Når klærne blir våte, skifter vi til tørre sokker …
Incorrect: Når klærne blir våte, vi skifter til tørre sokker …

If you start directly with the subject, you use normal order:

Vi skifter til tørre sokker når klærne blir våte.

What does skifter mean here, and why not bytter or tar på oss?

In clothing contexts:

å skifte (klær) = to change (clothes)
Very natural for putting on different clothes instead of the ones you have on.
å skifte til noe = to change into something
→ skifter vi til tørre sokker = we change into dry socks.

Bytte also means to change / exchange, but:

bytte is more about exchanging one thing for another in general.
For clothes, skifte (klær) is the more idiomatic verb, especially in everyday speech.

Ta på oss (put on) focuses on the act of putting clothes onto your body:

Vi tar på oss tørre sokker = We put on dry socks.
This does not explicitly say that you are replacing wet socks, whereas skifte til implies that you’re changing from one thing to another.

Why is it til tørre sokker and not til tørre sokkene?

The difference is indefinite vs. definite:

tørre sokker = dry socks (indefinite plural)
tørre sokkene = the dry socks (definite plural)

Here the sentence describes a general action: we change into dry socks (not some particular, previously identified pair). That’s why the indefinite form tørre sokker is used.

If you were talking about a specific, known set of socks, you might say:

Vi skifter til de tørre sokkene.
= We change into the dry socks (the specific ones we know about).

Why is the adjective tørre and not tørr?

Tørr (dry) changes form depending on gender, number, and definiteness:

Masculine / feminine, singular, indefinite: tørr sokk
Neuter, singular, indefinite: tørt håndkle
Plural (all genders) and all definite forms: tørre

In this sentence:

sokker is plural.
So the adjective must take the plural form: tørre sokker.

Examples:

en tørr sokk – one dry sock
to tørre sokker – two dry socks
de tørre sokkene – the dry socks

What is uteplassen exactly?

Uteplassen is a compound noun:

ute = outside
plass = place / area
uteplass = an outdoor area/space (patio, yard area, terrace, etc.)
uteplassen = the outdoor area / the patio (definite form)

So på uteplassen means on the outdoor area / on the patio / out on the designated outside area, depending on context. It refers to a specific known space, not just “outside” in general.

Why do we say på uteplassen and not i uteplassen?

Norwegian uses på with many open areas or surfaces:

på uteplassen – on the patio / in the outdoor area
på terrassen – on the terrace
på skolen – at school
på kontoret – at the office (more like “at” here)

I is more often used for enclosed spaces (rooms, buildings, containers):

i huset – in the house
i rommet – in the room

Since an uteplass is an open area, på uteplassen is the natural preposition choice.

Could we leave out på uteplassen? Does it change the meaning much?

If you remove på uteplassen, you get:

Når klærne blir våte, skifter vi til tørre sokker.

This is still a complete and correct sentence.
However, you lose the information about where the changing happens.

With på uteplassen: You’re specifying that the changing takes place out on the outdoor area/patio.
Without it: You’re just stating the rule/action in general, without the location.

Why is there a comma after våte?

Norwegian punctuation normally requires a comma between:

a subordinate clause and
the main clause

So:

Når klærne blir våte, ← subordinate clause
skifter vi til tørre sokker på uteplassen. ← main clause

When the subordinate clause comes first, you put a comma after it.
If the order is reversed, many writers still keep the comma, but it’s more optional:

Vi skifter til tørre sokker på uteplassen når klærne blir våte.
(Often written without a comma here.)