Jeg liker reklameplakater best når budskapet er kort og lett å forstå.

I like advertisement posters best when the message is short and easy to understand.

Breakdown of Jeg liker reklameplakater best når budskapet er kort og lett å forstå.

• jeg: I
• være: to be
• å: to
• og: and
• kort: short
• like: to like
• når: when
• lett: easy
• forstå: to understand
• best: best
• reklameplakaten: the advertisement poster
• budskapet: the message

Questions & Answers about Jeg liker reklameplakater best når budskapet er kort og lett å forstå.

What exactly does reklameplakater mean, and how is this word built?

Reklameplakater is a compound noun in the plural form.

• reklame = advertising / commercials
• plakat = poster
• plakater = plural of plakat

So reklameplakater literally means advertising posters or advertisement posters.

Indefinite forms:

• en plakat – a poster
• plakater – posters

The sentence uses the indefinite plural reklameplakater = (advertising) posters in general, not any specific posters.

Why is it Jeg liker reklameplakater best and not Jeg liker best reklameplakater? Are both correct?

Both are grammatically correct, but the emphasis is slightly different.

• Jeg liker reklameplakater best ...
  – Focuses first on what you like (advertising posters), then says that you like them the most.

• Jeg liker best reklameplakater ...
  – Focuses more on what you like most, in contrast to other things (for example: more than TV ads, radio ads, etc.).

In normal conversation, both word orders are common and natural. The version in the sentence is probably the most neutral-sounding.

Why is når used here? Could I use da instead?

In this sentence, når is the correct choice, and da would be wrong.

• når is used for:

  • Present and future time
  • Repeated / general situations
    Example: Jeg liker reklameplakater best når budskapet er kort ...
    → Whenever the message is short, I like them best. (general habit)

• da is used for:

  • Single events in the past
    Example: Jeg likte reklameplakaten godt da budskapet var kort.
    → I liked the poster (on that one occasion) when the message was short.

Here we are talking about a general preference (= habit), so når is required.

What does budskapet mean grammatically? What is the base form?

The base (dictionary) form is et budskap (a message).

• budskap is a neuter noun.
• et budskap = an / a message (indefinite singular)
• budskapet = the message (definite singular)

So budskapet in the sentence means the message. The -et ending is the definite article for neuter nouns.

Why is there no comma before når in this sentence? I thought subordinate clauses take a comma.

Standard Norwegian comma rules normally do put a comma before a subordinate clause:

• Jeg liker reklameplakater best, når budskapet er kort og lett å forstå.

However:

• In everyday writing (especially informal text), Norwegians often omit this comma, even though traditional rules say it should be there.
• Modern usage is becoming more relaxed, so you will see both versions.

For learning purposes, it is safer and more “correct” to write the comma:

Jeg liker reklameplakater best, når budskapet er kort og lett å forstå.

Why is the word order når budskapet er kort and not something like når er budskapet kort?

In Norwegian:

• Main clauses use V2 word order (verb in second position):
  Budskapet er kort. (Subject – Verb – Rest)
  I dag er budskapet kort. (Adverb – Verb – Subject – Rest)

• Subordinate clauses (introduced by når, fordi, at, etc.) do not use V2. The verb comes after the subject:
  når budskapet er kort (when the message is short)
  → Subjunction (når) – Subject (budskapet) – Verb (er)

So når er budskapet kort would be incorrect in this context.

How does lett å forstå work? Why is there å before forstå?

Lett å forstå literally means easy to understand.

• lett = easy
• å forstå = to understand (infinitive form with å)

Structure:

• Norwegian often uses adjective + å + infinitive to say easy to do, hard to say, etc.
  
  • lett å lese – easy to read
  • vanskelig å forklare – difficult to explain

So lett å forstå is an infinitive construction: easy to understand (for people in general).

Why is it lett å forstå and not something like å forstås (the passive form)?

Norwegian normally uses the active infinitive in this pattern:

• lett å forstå – easy to understand
• vanskelig å høre – hard to hear

You could theoretically say lett å forstås, but it would sound unnatural or very stylistic in modern Norwegian.

The idea is:
budskapet er lett (for folk) å forstå
→ the message is easy (for people) to understand.

The “by people” part is simply implied, so the active infinitive forstå is used.

Why are the adjectives kort and lett not changing form? Shouldn’t they agree with budskapet somehow?

They do agree, but in this case the forms look the same.

• budskapet is neuter singular.
• Adjectives in predicative position (after er, blir, etc.) normally agree with gender and number:
  • Huset er stort. (neuter)
  • Boken er stor. (common gender)
  • Bøkene er store. (plural)

For kort and lett:

• Base form: kort, lett
• Neuter singular form: kort, lett (the same)

So budskapet er kort and budskapet er lett are already the correct neuter forms. There is no visible change, but agreement is still there.

Could I just say Jeg liker reklame best instead of Jeg liker reklameplakater best?

You can, but the meaning changes slightly.

• Jeg liker reklame best ...
  → I like advertising / commercials in general best (could be TV ads, radio ads, online ads, etc.).

• Jeg liker reklameplakater best ...
  → I specifically like advertising posters best (as a type of advertising).

So reklame is broader; reklameplakater is more specific.

Is liker best the same as prefer in English?

Yes, liker best is often used where English would say prefer.

• Jeg liker reklameplakater best når ...
  ≈ I prefer advertising posters when ...

Norwegian also has the verb foretrekke (to prefer):

• Jeg foretrekker reklameplakater når budskapet er kort ...

Both are correct.
Liker best is more colloquial and very frequent in speech; foretrekker sounds a bit more formal or neutral.