Etter en lang dag foran skjermen er nakken min så stiv at jeg må gjøre yoga.

After a long day in front of the screen my neck is so stiff that I have to do yoga.

Breakdown of Etter en lang dag foran skjermen er nakken min så stiv at jeg må gjøre yoga.

• jeg: I
• være: to be
• en: a
• lang: long
• måtte: must
• dagen: the day
• at: that
• min: my
• gjøre: to do
• så: so
• etter: after
• foran: in front of
• skjermen: the screen
• yogaen: the yoga
• stiv: stiff
• nakken: the neck

Questions & Answers about Etter en lang dag foran skjermen er nakken min så stiv at jeg må gjøre yoga.

Why is the verb er in second position after Etter en lang dag foran skjermen?

Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb almost always comes in second position, no matter what comes first.

In the sentence:

• Etter en lang dag foran skjermen – first element (a time/place phrase)
• er – finite verb (2nd position)
• nakken min – subject
• så stiv at jeg må gjøre yoga – the rest of the predicate

If you start with the subject instead, you see the same rule more clearly:

• Jeg er så stiv i nakken etter en lang dag foran skjermen.

So:
– If jeg is first: Jeg er ...
– If a time phrase is first: Etter en lang dag foran skjermen er jeg ...

The order changes, but the verb stays in second place.

Why is it foran skjermen and not something like på skjermen or ved skjermen?

These prepositions express different relationships:

• foran = in front of
  • Physical position facing something:
    
    • Jeg sitter foran skjermen. – I sit in front of the screen.
• på = on / on top of / on (a surface) / sometimes on (a medium)
  
  • Katten sitter på skjermen. – The cat is on the screen.
  • Det står på skjermen. – It says on the screen (on the display).
• ved = by / next to / at
  • Jeg sitter ved bordet. – I sit by the table.
  • Jeg sitter ved PC-en. – I sit by the PC.

In your sentence we mean being positioned in front of the screen, so foran skjermen is the natural choice.

Why is it skjermen (definite form) and not en skjerm or just skjerm?

Skjermen is the definite singular: the screen.

Norwegian often uses the definite form for things that are:

• contextually obvious or unique in the situation:
  • At a desk, skjermen usually means your computer screen.
• generic in a specific role:
  • Etter mange timer foran skjermen – After many hours in front of the screen (the one you work at).

Alternatives:

• foran en skjerm – in front of a screen (any screen, not specific)
• foran skjerm – usually sounds incomplete/unnatural here

So foran skjermen is like saying “in front of the screen (I work at)”, even if you didn’t mention it before.

Why is it nakken min and not min nakke?

Both are grammatically correct, but they feel different in style and frequency:

• nakken min – definite noun + possessive after:
  • Very common, sounds natural and neutral:
  • Nakken min er stiv.
• min nakke – possessive before the noun:
  • Also correct, but can sound a bit more emphatic or bookish in many contexts.

With body parts, Norwegian prefers:

1. Definite form + optional possessive:
   • Nakken er stiv. – The neck is stiff. (often understood as my neck)
   • Nakken min er stiv. – My neck is stiff.
2. Or a prepositional expression:
   • Jeg er stiv i nakken. – I am stiff in the neck.

So nakken min is the most natural everyday version of my neck here.

Why is it nakken (with -en) and not just nakke?

Nakke is a masculine noun:

• Indefinite: en nakke – a neck
• Definite: nakken – the neck

When you talk about your own body part as a specific thing, Norwegian usually uses the definite form, often with a possessive:

• Jeg har vondt i hodet. – My head hurts.
• Jeg brakk armen. – I broke my arm.
• Nakken min er stiv. – My neck is stiff.

So nakken min = the neck (of mine) = my neck.

What does the structure så stiv at jeg må gjøre yoga mean exactly?

This is a common pattern:

• så + adjective + at + clause

It means so [adjective] that [consequence].

• så stiv at jeg må gjøre yoga
  = so stiff that I have to do yoga

More examples:

• Jeg var så trøtt at jeg sovnet på bussen.
  – I was so tired that I fell asleep on the bus.
• Det var så kaldt at vannet frøs.
  – It was so cold that the water froze.

Don’t confuse this with:

• så stiv som ... – as stiff as ... (comparison)
  • så stiv som en pinne – as stiff as a stick

Why is the verb for yoga gjøre and not something like trene or praktisere?

In everyday Norwegian, the most natural verb is:

• å gjøre yoga – to do yoga

Other options exist but sound a bit different:

• å trene yoga – to train yoga
  
  • Possible, but sounds more like work out with yoga / yoga training.
• å drive med yoga – to do/practice yoga in general
  
  • More about the activity as a hobby:
  • Hun driver med yoga. – She does yoga (regularly).
• å praktisere yoga – to practise yoga
  
  • More formal/spiritual or technical.

In a casual sentence like yours, jeg må gjøre yoga is the most usual phrasing.

When do I use etter alone, and when do I need etter at?

• etter + noun / noun phrase:

  • Etter en lang dag – After a long day
  • Etter jobb – After work
  • Etter frokost – After breakfast

• etter at + clause (subject + verb):

  • Etter at jeg har jobbet hele dagen, er jeg sliten.
    – After I have worked all day, I am tired.
  • Etter at hun kom hjem, lagde hun middag.

Your sentence uses etter followed by a noun phrase:

• Etter en lang dag foran skjermen
  = After a long day in front of the screen

If you turned it into a full clause, you’d use etter at:

• Etter at jeg har sittet foran skjermen en hel dag, er nakken min så stiv ...

Why is it en lang dag, not et lang dag or en lange dag?

Three things are happening:

1. Gender:
   
   • dag is masculine → indefinite article: en
     • en dag – a day
2. Indefinite + adjective:
   
   • In the indefinite singular, the adjective takes its base form:
     • en lang dag – a long day
     • et langt år – a long year
     • ei lang uke / en lang uke – a long week
3. Definite forms would look different:
   • den lange dagen – the long day
   • det lange året – the long year

So:

• en lang dag = a long day (indefinite)
• den lange dagen = the long day (definite)

Why is the article en used at all? Could you just say Etter lang dag foran skjermen?

In this case, you normally keep the article:

• Etter en lang dag foran skjermen ... – After a long day in front of the screen …

Dropping the article:

• Etter lang dag foran skjermen ...
  – This sounds unnatural in standard Bokmål.

You can omit the article in some set expressions or with mass/abstract nouns:

• Etter middag – After dinner
• Etter jobb – After work
• Etter trening – After practice/training

But with a countable noun + adjective like lang dag, you usually need the article: en lang dag.

What does må express here, and how is it different from bør or trenger å?

må is a modal verb expressing necessity or obligation:

• Jeg må gjøre yoga.
  = I have to / must do yoga.

Nuances compared to other modal/related verbs:

• bør – should (recommendation, not strict necessity)
  • Jeg bør gjøre yoga. – I should do yoga.
• trenger å – need to (because of a need, not obligation)
  • Jeg trenger å gjøre yoga. – I need to do yoga (for my body/health).
• må – must / have to (strongest)
  • Jeg må gjøre yoga. – I must do yoga, or else my neck will be a problem.

In your sentence, må nicely matches the idea that the neck is so stiff that doing yoga feels like a necessity.