Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Hun vil bruke mindre tid på å skrolle og mer tid på meditasjon. - She wants to spend less time scrolling and more time on meditation.

"Vil" in Norwegian can mean both "will" (future) and "wants to", and often it’s a mix of the two ideas: intention or desire about the future.

In this sentence, "Hun vil bruke mindre tid..." most naturally means "She wants to spend less time...", with an implication that this is her plan for the future.
You could translate it as either:

She wants to spend less time scrolling… (focus on desire)
She will spend less time scrolling… (focus on decision/plan)

The nuance is closer to intention/decision than a neutral future prediction.

Why is it "bruke tid på"? How does this structure work?

The phrase "å bruke tid på (noe/å gjøre noe)" literally means "to use time on (something/on doing something)", and it’s the standard way to say "spend time (doing something)" in Norwegian.

Patterns:

bruke tid på noe – spend time on something
- Hun bruker mye tid på sosiale medier.
bruke tid på å + infinitive – spend time doing something
- Hun vil bruke mindre tid på å skrolle.

So here:

bruke = use/spend
tid = time
på = on
å skrolle = scrolling / to scroll

Why is it "mindre tid" and not "færre tid"?

Norwegian, like English, distinguishes between countable and uncountable:

mindre = less (for uncountable things: tid, vann, penger, etc.)
færre = fewer (for countable things: bøker, dager, meldinger, etc.)

Since "tid" (time) is uncountable, you must say:

mindre tid = less time

"Færre tid" is incorrect.

Why is there no article with "tid"? Why not "den tiden" or something similar?

In Norwegian, "tid" is usually uncountable when you talk about time in general, so you normally use it without an article:

Hun vil bruke mindre tid på å skrolle. – She wants to spend less time scrolling.

You would use a definite form like "tiden" when referring to a specific, known period of time:

Hun vil utnytte tiden bedre i ferien. – She wants to use *the time better during the holidays.*

Here, the meaning is general, so plain "tid" is natural.

Why is the preposition "på" used in "på å skrolle" and "på meditasjon"?

After "bruke tid", Norwegian almost always uses "på":

bruke tid på noe – spend time on something
bruke tid på å + verb – spend time doing something

So:

på å skrolle – on scrolling / on (to) scroll
på meditasjon – on meditation

You cannot replace it with "til" here.
❌ Hun vil bruke mindre tid til å skrolle – sounds wrong.
✅ Hun vil bruke mindre tid på å skrolle – correct and natural.

Why is "å skrolle" written with k and double l instead of like the English "scroll"?

Norwegian usually adapts English loan verbs to Norwegian spelling and verb patterns.

So English "scroll" becomes:

å skrolle (infinitive)
skroller (present)
skrollet or skrollet / scrolla (past, depending on style)
har skrollet (perfect)

The "c" usually changes to "k", and double consonant + -e is a common infinitive pattern (like spille, snakke, rulle).

Is "å skrolle" informal/slang, or is it standard Norwegian?

"Å skrolle" is now very common and widely understood, especially in the context of phones and social media. It’s informal in tone (you’d see it in everyday speech, social media, etc.), but it’s not just niche slang.

In more neutral or formal language, or if you want a native word, you might use:

å bla – to page/leaf through (also used for scrolling, but feels a bit old‑fashioned for phone use)
å rulle nedover siden – to roll/scroll down the page (more descriptive).

For a typical modern sentence about phone use, "å skrolle" is very natural.

Could you also say "Hun vil bruke mindre tid på skrolling" instead of "på å skrolle"?

Yes, that’s possible:

Hun vil bruke mindre tid på å skrolle.
Hun vil bruke mindre tid på skrolling.

Both are grammatically correct.

Nuance:

på å skrolle – focuses slightly more on the action (on doing the scrolling).
på skrolling – treats it more as a noun/activity (on scrolling as an activity).

In everyday speech, "på å skrolle" is very common and maybe a bit more natural for many speakers.

Why is it "mer tid på meditasjon" and not "mer tid til meditasjon"?

After "bruke tid", the idiomatic preposition is almost always "på", not "til":

✅ bruke mer tid på meditasjon
✅ bruke mer tid på å meditere
❌ bruke mer tid til meditasjon (doesn’t sound natural)

"Til" can appear with tid in other structures:

Jeg har ikke tid til det. – I don’t have time for that.

But with "bruke tid", stick to "på".

Can I say "mer tid på å meditere" instead of "mer tid på meditasjon"? Is there a difference?

Both are correct:

mer tid på meditasjon – more time on meditation (as a general activity/concept)
mer tid på å meditere – more time meditating / more time spent meditating

The difference is small:

"meditasjon" = the activity as a noun
"å meditere" = the verb, the action of meditating

In practice, both sound natural and are often interchangeable here.

Does this sentence describe a habit now, or a future plan? How does Norwegian express that?

"Hun vil bruke mindre tid på å skrolle og mer tid på meditasjon." describes her intention or decision about the future.

vil + infinitive → intention / desire / decision about what will happen
So it’s like saying:
She wants to spend less time scrolling and more time meditating (from now on).

If you wanted to describe an existing habit right now, you’d use the present tense:

Hun bruker mindre tid på å skrolle og mer tid på meditasjon.
– She spends less time scrolling and more time on meditation.

Is the word order with "og mer tid på meditasjon" obligatory, or could you shorten it?

The full form:

Hun vil bruke mindre tid på å skrolle og mer tid på meditasjon.

You can make it slightly shorter but must keep it clear and grammatical. These are fine:

Hun vil bruke mindre tid på å skrolle og mer på meditasjon.
Hun vil bruke mindre tid på skrolling og mer på meditasjon.

You cannot drop "mer" or "på" in a way that breaks the parallel structure:

❌ …mindre tid på å skrolle og tid på meditasjon – unbalanced
✅ …mindre tid på å skrolle og mer tid på meditasjon – clear contrast.