Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Nervøsiteten blir mindre etter øvelsen. - The nervousness gets smaller after the exercise.

In this sentence, we’re talking about a particular nervousness that the speaker and listener both know about (for example, the nervousness before a performance), so the definite form nervøsiteten is natural.

Can I say “Nervøsiteten er mindre etter øvelsen” instead of “blir mindre”? What’s the difference?

You can say “Nervøsiteten er mindre etter øvelsen”, and it’s grammatically correct, but the nuance changes:

blir mindre = becomes / gets less
Focuses on the change in nervousness. It implies a process: it starts higher and then goes down.
er mindre = is less
Describes a state: after the practice, the level of nervousness is lower, but it doesn’t highlight the process of getting there.

In most contexts where you’re talking about a change (before vs. after practice), blir mindre sounds more natural.

What exactly is the role of blir here? Is it like “becomes”?

Yes. blir is the present tense of å bli and here it works like “becomes / gets” in English.

Structure:

Subjekt + blir + adjektiv
Nervøsiteten blir mindre = The nervousness becomes less / gets lower.

This construction is very common:

Jeg blir trøtt. – I get tired.
Hun blir glad. – She becomes happy.

What kind of word is mindre, and why doesn’t it change form?

mindre is the comparative form of liten (small / little) and also works as a comparative for “less” with uncountable things like nervøsitet.

It’s used here more like “less” than like “smaller”:

mindre nervøsitet = less nervousness

As a comparative, mindre does not change for gender, number, or definiteness. It stays mindre in all these:

mindre vann – less water
mindre mat – less food
mindre tid – less time
Nervøsiteten blir mindre. – The nervousness becomes less.

Why is it etter øvelsen and not something like etterpå øvelsen?

Because etter and etterpå work differently:

etter + noun = after [something]
- etter øvelsen = after the practice/exercise
etterpå is an adverb, meaning afterwards / later, and it does not take a noun after it.

So:

✅ Nervøsiteten blir mindre etter øvelsen.
✅ Nervøsiteten blir mindre etterpå. (afterwards)
❌ Nervøsiteten blir mindre etterpå øvelsen. (ungrammatical)

Could I say “etter at øvelsen er ferdig” instead of “etter øvelsen”?

Yes. Both are correct, but they differ slightly in formality and detail.

etter øvelsen = after the practice
Short and neutral.
etter at øvelsen er ferdig = after the practice is finished
A bit longer and more explicit.
Structure: etter at + clause.

Examples:

Nervøsiteten blir mindre etter øvelsen.
Nervøsiteten blir mindre etter at øvelsen er ferdig.

Both are natural; choose based on how explicit you want to be.

What exactly does øvelsen mean here: practice, rehearsal, or exercise?

øvelse is a fairly broad word and can mean:

practice / rehearsal (for music, theatre, sports, etc.)
exercise / drill (physical exercise, military drill, training exercise)

So øvelsen could be:

the rehearsal (for a concert, play, etc.)
the training exercise
the practice session

Context decides the best English word. The grammar is the same regardless.

Why does it end in -en: øvelsen? What gender is øvelse?

In Bokmål, øvelse is normally treated as a masculine noun:

Indefinite: en øvelse – a practice/exercise
Definite: øvelsen – the practice/exercise

Some feminine nouns can also be treated as feminine in Bokmål (ei øvelse – øvelsa), but the masculine pattern (en/øvelsen) is more common in standard Bokmål and is what you see here.

So:

etter øvelse = after (a/any) practice
etter øvelsen = after the practice (a specific one)

Can I move etter øvelsen to the front of the sentence? How does that affect word order?

Yes, you can put the time phrase first:

Etter øvelsen blir nervøsiteten mindre.

This is perfectly normal Norwegian. The main rule is that the finite verb (blir) must stay in the second position in a main clause (the V2 rule):

Etter øvelsen (adverbial in first position)
blir (verb in second position)
nervøsiteten (subject)
mindre (predicate adjective)

So both are correct:

Nervøsiteten blir mindre etter øvelsen.
Etter øvelsen blir nervøsiteten mindre.

Is it possible to drop blir and just say “Nervøsiteten mindre etter øvelsen”?

No. Norwegian main clauses must have a finite verb.
blir is the only finite verb here and cannot be omitted.

✅ Nervøsiteten blir mindre etter øvelsen.
❌ Nervøsiteten mindre etter øvelsen. (no verb → ungrammatical)

You always need some form of å være (er, var, har vært etc.) or å bli (blir, ble, har blitt), or another verb, to make a complete sentence.

How would the meaning change if I say “Vi blir mindre nervøse etter øvelsen” instead?

Nervøsiteten blir mindre etter øvelsen.
Focuses on the level of nervousness itself decreasing.
Vi blir mindre nervøse etter øvelsen.
Focuses on the people and how we feel. Literally: We become less nervous after the practice.

Both can describe the same situation, but:

First version talks about nervousness as an abstract thing.
Second version talks about people getting less nervous.

How do you pronounce øvelsen and nervøsiteten, especially the ø sound?

Approximate pronunciation (Bokmål, standard eastern):

øvelsen → [ˈøːvəl.sən]
- ø: Similar to the vowel in British English “bird”, but with rounded lips.
- Stress on the first syllable: Ø-vel-sen.
nervøsiteten → [nærˈvøːsiˌteːtn̩] (simplified)
- Main stress on -vø-: ner-VØ-si-te-ten.
- Again, ø like the rounded vowel in “bird”.

To make ø:

Say the vowel in “bed”.
Keep your tongue in that position.
Round your lips as if saying “o”.