Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Vi prøver å ha en balansert dag, selv om tidsklemma ofte gjør det vanskelig. - We try to have a balanced day, even though the time squeeze often makes it difficult.

Tidsklemma is a very common Norwegian noun meaning the time squeeze / time crunch – the stressful situation where you have too much to do and too little time, especially juggling work, family, and other obligations.

Nuances:

It’s often used about everyday life with children and full‑time jobs.
It has a slightly colloquial, everyday feel, but it’s absolutely fine in newspapers, TV, etc.
Rough English equivalents:
- the time crunch
- being squeezed for time
- the pressure of time

Example:

Mange småbarnsforeldre står i tidsklemma.
Many parents of small children are in the time crunch / are squeezed for time.

Why is it tidsklemma (definite form) and not tidsklemme (indefinite) here?

Norwegian often uses the definite form of a noun to talk about a situation that is understood as a general, known phenomenon, especially when it’s something “out there in the world”.

Tidsklemma here refers to “the” time crunch as a general condition of modern life, not to one specific, countable instance.

Compare:

Tidsklemma ofte gjør det vanskelig.
The time squeeze often makes it difficult. (this general thing called “the time squeeze”)
En tidsklemme would sound more like one (particular) time squeeze situation, which is less natural here.

This is similar to:

Klimaendringene er en stor utfordring.
Literally: The climate changes are a big challenge.
(Talking about climate change as a general phenomenon.)

What is the gender and the full set of forms for tidsklemma?

Tidsklemma is a compound based on klemme (feminine or masculine in Bokmål). The most common pattern is feminine:

Singular:

indefinite: en/ei tidsklemme
definite: tidsklemma

Plural:

indefinite: tidsklemmer
definite: tidsklemmene

Examples:

Jeg er i en skikkelig tidsklemme. – I’m in a real time crunch.
Tidsklemma gjør at jeg ofte må jobbe om kvelden. – The time squeeze means I often have to work in the evening.
Mange opplever sterke tidsklemmer i småbarnsfasen. – Many experience severe time crunches when they have small children.

Why is it Vi prøver å ha and not just Vi prøver ha?

In Norwegian, most verbs in the infinitive need å in front of them (the infinitive marker), similar to to in English (to have, to do).

The pattern is:

prøve + å + infinitive

So:

Vi prøver å ha en balansert dag.
We are trying to have a balanced day.

Without å (Vi prøver ha) is ungrammatical in standard Norwegian.

More examples:

Jeg prøver å lære norsk. – I’m trying to learn Norwegian.
Hun prøver å sove. – She’s trying to sleep.

Could you also say Vi prøver å få en balansert dag? What’s the difference between ha and få here?

You could say Vi prøver å få en balansert dag, but it sounds a bit less natural and slightly different in nuance.

å ha en balansert dag
→ focuses on maintaining/experiencing a balanced day (how the day is).
å få en balansert dag
→ can sound more like managing to achieve a balanced day, or to end up having one.

In practice:

Vi prøver å ha en balansert dag
– We try to organize and live our day in a balanced way.
Vi prøver å få en balansert dag
– We try to manage to have a balanced day (slightly more about achieving it as a result).

The original with ha is the most idiomatic here.

Why is it en balansert dag and not en balanserte dag?

In Norwegian, adjectives before an indefinite singular noun take the basic form, without -e:

en balansert dag (m/f singular, indefinite)
et balansert liv (neuter singular, indefinite)

The -e ending is used:

before definite singular nouns:
- den balanserte dagen – the balanced day
before plural nouns:
- balanserte dager – balanced days

So:

en balansert dag (correct)
en balanserte dag (incorrect)

What is the function of selv om here, and how does it differ from men or om?

Selv om is a conjunction meaning even though / although. It introduces a clause that contrasts with, but does not block, what is said in the main clause.

Vi prøver å ha en balansert dag, selv om tidsklemma ofte gjør det vanskelig.
We try to have a balanced day, even though the time squeeze often makes it difficult.

Differences:

selv om = even though / although (concession)
- Jeg går ut, selv om det regner. – I’m going out even though it’s raining.
men = but (connects two main clauses, not a subclause)
- Jeg vil gå ut, men det regner. – I want to go out, but it’s raining.
om alone usually means if / whether:
- Jeg vet ikke om han kommer. – I don’t know if he’s coming.

So selv om specifically introduces a subordinate concessive clause (“even though …”), not a simple “but” or an “if” clause.

Why is the word order tidsklemma ofte gjør det vanskelig and not ofte tidsklemma gjør det vanskelig?

In a subordinate clause (like the one introduced by selv om), the normal word order is:

Subordinator (selv om)
Subject (tidsklemma)
Mid‑position adverb (ofte)
Verb (gjør)
The rest (det vanskelig)

So:

selv om tidsklemma ofte gjør det vanskelig

This is standard subordinate‑clause order: subject – adverb – verb.

In a main clause, Norwegian typically has verb in second position (V2), and adverbs often come after the verb:

Tidsklemma gjør ofte det vanskelig.
(main clause: subject – verb – adverb – object)

But after selv om, we’re inside a subordinate clause, so we use the subordinate pattern:

subject – adverb – verb → tidsklemma ofte gjør

Ofte tidsklemma gjør det vanskelig is ungrammatical in this context.

Could we say selv om det ofte tidsklemma gjør vanskelig instead? How flexible is the word order?

No, selv om det ofte tidsklemma gjør vanskelig is ungrammatical and very un‑Norwegian.

In this sentence:

tidsklemma must be the subject of gjør (“makes”).
det is the object / “it” (the situation of having a balanced day).

The natural, grammatical order in the subordinate clause is:

tidsklemma ofte gjør det vanskelig

Possible small variations:

selv om tidsklemma gjør det ofte vanskelig
(still grammatical, but ofte sounds more natural before gjør here)
But you cannot scramble it in the way English sometimes allows. Norwegian word order in subordinate clauses is quite strict.

What does det refer to in gjør det vanskelig?

Here, det is a dummy/object pronoun referring back to the whole situation described earlier: å ha en balansert dag (having a balanced day).

So:

Vi prøver å ha en balansert dag
→ that whole idea is what det stands for
… selv om tidsklemma ofte gjør det vanskelig.
→ … even though the time squeeze often makes that difficult.

Literally:

tidsklemma ofte gjør det vanskelig
= the time squeeze often makes it difficult (to have a balanced day).

Why is it gjør det vanskelig and not er vanskelig (as in “is difficult”)?

er vanskelig = is difficult (describing a state).
gjør det vanskelig = makes it difficult (describing a cause/effect).

In this sentence we want to say that tidsklemma is the reason why it is difficult to have a balanced day, so gjør det vanskelig is the natural choice:

tidsklemma ofte gjør det vanskelig
→ the time squeeze often makes it difficult.

If we wrote:

… selv om tidsklemma ofte er vanskelig,
that would mean “even though the time squeeze is often difficult (to deal with)”, which shifts the focus to the time squeeze itself being difficult, not the act of having a balanced day.

Why is there a comma before selv om in Norwegian?

Norwegian punctuation rules normally require a comma before a subordinate clause when it follows the main clause.

Here:

Main clause: Vi prøver å ha en balansert dag
Subordinate clause: selv om tidsklemma ofte gjør det vanskelig

So you put a comma before selv om:

Vi prøver å ha en balansert dag, selv om tidsklemma ofte gjør det vanskelig.

This is standard and expected in written Norwegian.

Is tidsklemma formal, or is it more colloquial? Are there more neutral synonyms?

Tidsklemma is:

very common in everyday speech
also frequent in media, articles, and public debate
fully acceptable in standard written Norwegian

So it’s more everyday‑style than technical, but not slang.

More neutral or descriptive alternatives:

mangel på tid – lack of time
tidspress – time pressure
presset tidssituasjon – a pressured time situation

But in the context of modern family/work life, tidsklemma is often the most idiomatic word.

Is Vi prøver å ha en balansert dag the most natural way to say this, or would Norwegians say something like en balansert hverdag instead?

Vi prøver å ha en balansert dag is perfectly understandable and acceptable.

However, in this kind of context, Norwegians might very often talk about hverdag (everyday life) rather than a single day:

Vi prøver å ha en balansert hverdag.
We try to have a balanced everyday life.

Nuance:

en balansert dag – one day that is balanced (could be today, or “a typical day”).
en balansert hverdag – life in general is balanced from day to day; sounds a bit more idiomatic in talk about lifestyle and routines.

Both are correct; choice depends on whether the focus is today/one day or everyday life overall.

How do you pronounce tidsklemma, and is the d in tids pronounced?

In standard spoken Norwegian (Bokmål‑based), tidsklemma is typically pronounced roughly like:

[tits‑klem‑ma]
(English‑style approximation: tits-klem-ma)

Details:

The d in tids- is silent; the cluster ds is usually realized as /ts/.
Main stress is normally on tid or on the first syllable of the compound:
- TÍDS‑klemma (common)
klemme is pronounced like klem‑me, with short e and a doubled m giving a short, “tight” vowel.

You don’t need perfect phonetics; just remember:

Don’t say a clear d.
Make it sound like "tits-klemma".