Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Sammen med en studievenn skriver jeg viktige ord i en egen notatblokk. - Together with a study buddy I write important words in a separate notepad.

Here, the first element is the phrase Sammen med en studievenn. Because that sits in first position, the verb skriver must come second, and the subject jeg comes after the verb:

Sammen med en studievenn – first element
skriver – second element (finite verb)
jeg – subject
viktige ord i en egen notatblokk – the rest of the sentence

If you start with the subject, the order changes but is still V2:

Jeg skriver viktige ord i en egen notatblokk sammen med en studievenn.

Both are correct; Norwegian just cares that the verb is in second position, not that the subject must come first.

What is the nuance of Sammen med en studievenn compared to just med en studievenn?

med en studievenn = with a study friend (just states the person is also there).
sammen med en studievenn = together with a study friend and emphasizes that you and this person are doing the activity together, jointly.

In practice, Norwegians often prefer sammen med when they want to stress shared activity, not just physical presence.

What exactly does studievenn mean, and how is this compound built?

studievenn is a compound noun:

studie = study, studies
venn = friend

So studievenn is a friend related to your studies – typically someone you study with, or a friend from your study program.

Grammar notes:

It’s masculine in Bokmål: en studievenn, studievennen, flere studievenner, studievennene.
It’s a normal pattern in Norwegian to put two nouns together like this:
- studie + venn → studievenn
- skole + venn → skolevenn (school friend)
- arbeid + kamerat → arbeidskamerat (workmate)

Does skriver mean “write” or “am writing”? Is there a difference?

Norwegian present tense (skriver) covers both English simple present and present continuous. Context decides the exact nuance.

So skriver can mean:

write (habitually, regularly)
am writing (right now, at the moment)

Examples:

Jeg skriver viktige ord i en notatblokk hver dag.
= I write important words in a notebook every day.
Vent litt, jeg skriver viktige ord i notatblokka nå.
= Wait a bit, I am writing important words in the notebook now.

You don’t need a special “‑ing” form in Norwegian; skriver covers both.

Why is it viktige ord and not viktig ord?

Because ord is plural in this sentence.

In Bokmål, adjectives in the indefinite plural end in ‑e, regardless of gender:

et viktig ord – an important word (neuter singular)
viktige ord – important words (plural)

Other examples:

en rød bil → røde biler (a red car → red cars)
et fint hus → fine hus (a nice house → nice houses)

So viktige ord = “important words” (plural), not “an important word”.

Why is there no article before viktige ord? Why not noen viktige ord or de viktige ordene?

viktige ord here is a generic, indefinite plural: you’re talking about “important words” in general, not a specific set.

Options and their meanings:

viktige ord – important words (in general, non‑specific)
noen viktige ord – some important words (a certain number, but unspecified)
de viktige ordene – the important words (a specific, known set)

The original sentence describes a general habit, so plain plural without article (viktige ord) is natural.

What does egen mean in en egen notatblokk, and why do we need it?

egen means “own” in the sense of “belonging to me (or to us)” and emphasizes personal ownership.

en notatblokk – a notebook
en egen notatblokk – a notebook of my (or our) own, a notebook that is specifically dedicated to this

Nuance:

i en notatblokk – just in some notebook.
i en egen notatblokk – in a notebook that is separate and specially reserved, e.g. just for these important words.

So egen adds the idea: a separate, personal notebook just for this purpose.

Can I say min egen notatblokk instead of en egen notatblokk?

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

en egen notatblokk
= a separate notebook of my own (focus on the type: “an own notebook”, dedicated for this use; whose it is is often clear from context, e.g. “I” = mine).
min egen notatblokk
= my own notebook (more explicitly about personal ownership, contrasted with using someone else’s or a shared one).

Both are grammatically correct:

Jeg skriver viktige ord i en egen notatblokk.
Jeg skriver viktige ord i min egen notatblokk.

The first sounds more like “I use a personal, dedicated notebook”; the second emphasizes “not borrowed, specifically mine”.

How does egen agree with the noun? Would it change with other genders or plural?

In Bokmål, egen behaves like an adjective and must agree with the noun:

Masculine/feminine singular: egen
- en egen notatblokk (m/f)
- en egen plan (m)
Neuter singular: eget
- et eget rom – an own room
Plural (all genders): egne
- egne notatblokker – (one’s) own notebooks
- egne barn – (one’s) own children

So you would say e.g.:

Jeg har mitt eget rom. – I have my own room.
De har sine egne bøker. – They have their own books.

Why is it en notatblokk? Could it also be ei notatblokk?

In Bokmål, blokk can be masculine or feminine:

Masculine form: en notatblokk
Feminine form (also correct in Bokmål, but somewhat style‑dependent): ei notatblokk

Many learners are taught to use the masculine form en as the “default”, because it works everywhere in Bokmål. Native speakers differ: some use ei with many feminine nouns, others use en for almost all of them.

So:

en notatblokk – completely standard Bokmål
ei notatblokk – also allowed Bokmål; more explicitly feminine style

Why is the preposition i used in i en egen notatblokk and not på?

With something like notatblokk, Norwegian typically uses:

skrive i en notatblokk – literally write in a notebook

This matches the idea of writing inside a book or pad.

General tendencies:

i (in) – for something you perceive as containing the writing:
- i en bok, i en notatblokk, i en dagbok
på (on) – for surfaces:
- på tavla, på et ark, på veggen

You might sometimes hear skrive på en blokk, but skrive i en notatblokk is the most neutral and standard.

How flexible is the word order in this sentence? Can I move the phrases around?

Norwegian word order is somewhat flexible, as long as you keep:

The finite verb in second position in main clauses (V2).
The subject close to the verb.

Some acceptable variants:

Jeg skriver viktige ord i en egen notatblokk sammen med en studievenn.
Jeg skriver, sammen med en studievenn, viktige ord i en egen notatblokk. (commas optional, slightly more formal)
Sammen med en studievenn skriver jeg viktige ord i en egen notatblokk. (original)

Less natural:

Sammen med en studievenn skriver jeg i en egen notatblokk viktige ord.
(still understandable, but the phrase viktige ord usually comes before i en egen notatblokk)

So you can move the adverbial phrases around, but don’t break the V2 rule and try to keep the direct object (viktige ord) fairly close to the verb.

Could the subject be vi instead of jeg? As in: Sammen med en studievenn skriver vi viktige ord ...?

Grammatically, yes:

Sammen med en studievenn skriver vi viktige ord i en egen notatblokk.

That would mean “Together with a study friend, we write important words …”, i.e. you and the study friend are jointly the subject.

With jeg, the sentence focuses on “I” as the subject:

You are the one whose habit is being described.
The study friend is mentioned as company, but not grammatically part of the subject.

So:

jeg = I write (with a study friend).
vi = we (I + at least one other person) write.