Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Når arbeidsmengden øker før eksamen, blir søvnkvaliteten ofte dårligere. - When the workload increases before the exam, the sleep quality often gets worse.

når = when in general, especially for:
- repeated / habitual events:
  - Når jeg er stresset, sover jeg dårlig. – When I’m stressed, I sleep badly.
- future events:
  - Når du kommer hjem, ringer du meg. – When you get home, call me.
da = when for one specific event in the past:
- Da jeg var student, sov jeg lite. – When I was a student, I slept little.
hvis = if, a conditional:
- Hvis arbeidsmengden øker, blir søvnkvaliteten dårligere. – If the workload increases, sleep quality gets worse.

In your sentence, we’re talking about what usually happens in a general situation (around exam time), so når (habitual “when”) is the correct choice.

Why are the verbs in the present tense (øker, blir) if this can also be about the future?

Norwegian often uses the present tense to talk about:

General truths / habits
- Når det regner, blir jeg trøtt. – When it rains, I get tired.
Future actions with a time expression
- I morgen drar jeg til Oslo. – Tomorrow I’m going to Oslo.

Your sentence describes a general pattern:

Når arbeidsmengden øker før eksamen, blir søvnkvaliteten ofte dårligere.
= Whenever the workload increases before exams, sleep quality often gets worse.

So the present tense is natural and expected here.

Can you explain the word order with the comma and why blir comes before søvnkvaliteten?

Structure:

Subordinate clause (leddsetning) first
- Når arbeidsmengden øker før eksamen,
- Conjunction (Når) + subject (arbeidsmengden) + verb (øker) + rest (før eksamen)
Main clause (hovedsetning) after the comma
- blir søvnkvaliteten ofte dårligere.

In Norwegian main clauses, we have the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in second position.

First position is taken by the whole subordinate clause:
- [Når arbeidsmengden øker før eksamen], = position 1
The finite verb must still be second, so it comes right after the comma:
- blir = position 2
Then comes the subject and the rest:
- søvnkvaliteten ofte dårligere

So:

Når arbeidsmengden øker før eksamen, blir søvnkvaliteten ofte dårligere.
= [Subclause], V–Subject–Adverb–Complement

Why is there a comma after the “Når…” clause?

Rule of thumb in written Norwegian:

If a subordinate clause (leddsetning) comes before the main clause, you put a comma between them.

Here:

Subordinate clause: Når arbeidsmengden øker før eksamen
Main clause: blir søvnkvaliteten ofte dårligere

Hence the comma:

Når arbeidsmengden øker før eksamen, blir søvnkvaliteten ofte dårligere.

If you reverse the order, you usually don’t use a comma:

Søvnkvaliteten blir ofte dårligere når arbeidsmengden øker før eksamen.

What exactly does arbeidsmengden mean, and why does it have -en at the end?

arbeidsmengden is a compound noun in the definite singular:

arbeid = work
mengde = amount, quantity
arbeidsmengde = workload (literally amount of work)
arbeidsmengden = the workload

Breakdown:

en arbeidsmengde – an amount of work / a workload
arbeidsmengden – the workload

The -en ending marks the definite form for most masculine and some feminine nouns (here: en mengde → mengden).

Why is it før eksamen and not før eksamenen (before the exam)?

Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things:

før eksamen
- More general: before exams, in exam periods, before an exam in general.
- Similar to English “before exams / before exam time”.
før eksamenen
- Refers to one specific exam that both speaker and listener know about.
- “before the exam (this particular one)”.

In your sentence, the idea is a general pattern around exam periods, so før eksamen (indefinite) is more natural.

What does blir do here? Why not just use er?

bli means to become / to get, and it’s a linking verb (like to be in some English constructions).

er = is/are (state)
- Søvnkvaliteten er dårlig. – The sleep quality is bad.
blir = becomes/gets (change of state)
- Søvnkvaliteten blir dårligere. – The sleep quality gets/becomes worse.

In your sentence, we’re talking about a change in sleep quality when the workload increases, so blir is the natural choice:

Når arbeidsmengden øker …, blir søvnkvaliteten ofte dårligere.
= sleep quality often becomes worse.

How is dårligere formed, and is there also a word like verre?

dårligere is the comparative form of dårlig (bad).

Regular pattern:

Positive: dårlig – bad
Comparative: dårligere – worse
Superlative: dårligst – worst

There is also an irregular comparative:

verre = worse (comparative of dårlig / vond in many contexts)

So both of these can be used:

Søvnkvaliteten blir dårligere.
Søvnkvaliteten blir verre.

Your sentence uses the regular form dårligere, which is perfectly correct and quite neutral.

What does søvnkvaliteten mean, and why is it one word with -en at the end?

Again, this is a compound noun in the definite singular:

søvn = sleep
kvalitet = quality
søvnkvalitet = sleep quality
søvnkvaliteten = the sleep quality

Grammar:

en kvalitet → kvaliteten (definite form)
en søvnkvalitet → søvnkvaliteten

So in your sentence:

søvnkvaliteten = the sleep quality

Why is ofte placed after søvnkvaliteten? Could I move it?

In a normal main clause with a simple subject:

Neutral order: Subject – Verb – Mid-position adverb – Rest

Example:

Søvnkvaliteten blir ofte dårligere.

But in your sentence, the subordinate clause comes first, so the verb must be second (V2), and the subject is pushed after the verb:

Når arbeidsmengden øker før eksamen,
- position 1 = whole subordinate clause
blir – finite verb, position 2
søvnkvaliteten – subject
ofte – mid-position adverb
dårligere – rest of the predicate

So:

Når arbeidsmengden øker før eksamen, blir søvnkvaliteten ofte dårligere.

You can move ofte for emphasis:

Når arbeidsmengden øker før eksamen, blir ofte søvnkvaliteten dårligere.

This is still grammatical but sounds more marked; it stresses ofte more.

Can I put the main clause first, like in English?

Yes. You can flip the order without changing the meaning:

Søvnkvaliteten blir ofte dårligere når arbeidsmengden øker før eksamen.

Notes:

Now the main clause is first, so:
- Søvnkvaliteten (subject)
- blir (verb, still in second position – V2)
- ofte (mid-position adverb)
- dårligere (complement)
The subordinate clause now comes after, so normally no comma is used.

Both versions are natural; changing the order mostly affects what you want to foreground (cause first vs effect first).

Are arbeidsmengde and søvnkvalitet always written as one word in Norwegian?

Yes. In Norwegian, compound nouns are normally written as one word, unlike English.

So you write:

arbeidsmengde – not arbeids mengde
søvnkvalitet – not søvn kvalitet

Adding the definite ending:

arbeidsmengden – the workload
søvnkvaliteten – the sleep quality

Writing them as separate words is considered a spelling mistake (often called særskrivingsfeil).