Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Noen ganger kan et problem oppstå med datamaskinen. - Sometimes a problem can arise with the computer.

In Noen ganger kan et problem oppstå med datamaskinen, the order is:
1. Noen ganger (adverbial, “sometimes”)
2. kan (finite verb)
3. et problem (subject)
In Et problem kan noen ganger oppstå med datamaskinen, the order is:
1. Et problem (subject)
2. kan (finite verb)
3. noen ganger (adverbial)

Both sentences are grammatically correct and natural.
Putting Noen ganger first emphasizes “sometimes / on some occasions”, while putting Et problem first emphasizes “a problem”.

What is the difference between noen ganger and av og til? Can they both mean “sometimes”?

Both noen ganger and av og til usually translate as “sometimes / occasionally”, and they’re often interchangeable.

noen ganger – literally “some times”; slightly more neutral and very common in both speech and writing.
av og til – literally “from and to”; also very common, maybe a bit more colloquial in some contexts.

In this sentence, you could also say:

Av og til kan et problem oppstå med datamaskinen.

No real change in meaning; it’s mostly style and personal preference.

Why is it et problem and not en problem? How do I know which article to use?

Norwegian nouns have grammatical gender, which determines the article:

en = masculine
ei = feminine (often interchangeable with en in Bokmål)
et = neuter

The noun problem is neuter, so you must use et:

et problem – “a problem”
problemet – “the problem”

There is no general rule that lets you guess the gender from the form; you normally have to learn the gender together with each noun, e.g.:

en datamaskin (a computer) – masculine
et problem (a problem) – neuter

So here: et problem is required.

Why is it oppstå and not a more familiar verb like skje or hende?

All three verbs are related but not identical:

oppstå – “to arise / to occur / to come up”
- Often used for problems, situations, conflicts, questions.
- Suggests something appears / emerges.
skje – “to happen” (very common, quite neutral)
hende – also “to happen”, slightly more literary or formal and often about events to people.

With problems, oppstå is very natural and idiomatic:

Det kan oppstå et problem. – A problem can arise.
Sounding a bit less idiomatic: Det kan skje et problem. (understandable but not what people usually say)

In other words, oppstå collocates strongly with problem.

Why is it med datamaskinen (“with the computer”) and not something like på datamaskinen or i datamaskinen?

The preposition med in this context is broad and idiomatic. It can mean:

“with / involving / concerning / regarding”

So et problem oppstå med datamaskinen ≈ “a problem arise with the computer / on the computer / in connection with the computer”.

Other prepositions would change the nuance:

på datamaskinen – more literally “on the computer”, for example:
- Det er en fil på datamaskinen. – There is a file on the computer.
i datamaskinen – “in the computer”, used more physically (inside the machine):
- Det er støv i datamaskinen. – There is dust in the computer.

For a general technical issue or malfunction, med is the most natural choice.

Why is it datamaskinen (definite form, “the computer”) and not en datamaskin (“a computer”)?

Norwegian often uses the definite form when English would use “the” or refer to a specific, known object:

datamaskin – “computer” (indefinite, general)
datamaskinen – “the computer” (definite, a specific one)

In context, this sentence usually refers to a particular computer (e.g. your computer, the one we’re talking about). That’s why the definite form datamaskinen is natural.

Compare:

Noen ganger kan et problem oppstå med en datamaskin.
– More like: “Sometimes a problem can arise with a computer” (any computer, in general).
Noen ganger kan et problem oppstå med datamaskinen.
– “Sometimes a problem can arise with the computer” (the specific machine in context).

Could I say Noen ganger kan det oppstå et problem med datamaskinen? What is the difference?

Yes, Noen ganger kan det oppstå et problem med datamaskinen is also correct and very natural.

Difference:

Noen ganger kan et problem oppstå med datamaskinen.
– Subject et problem comes directly after kan.
Noen ganger kan det oppstå et problem med datamaskinen.
– There is a dummy/expletive subject det, and the “real” subject et problem comes later.

The version with det can feel slightly more neutral and flowing, and is extremely common in spoken Norwegian when introducing something new:

Det kan oppstå et problem … is very idiomatic.

In everyday language, both wordings are good; many speakers would naturally choose the det version.

What is the difference between kan oppstå and oppstår here?

oppstår – simple present: “arises / occurs” (stating a general fact or regular occurrence)
kan oppstå – “can arise / may arise” (adds possibility or potential)

So:

Noen ganger oppstår et problem med datamaskinen.
– “Sometimes a problem arises with the computer” (stating that this actually happens).
Noen ganger kan et problem oppstå med datamaskinen.
– “Sometimes a problem can arise with the computer” (slightly less categorical; talks about the possibility).

Both are valid; kan oppstå sounds a bit more cautious or general.

Where would I put ikke (not) in this kind of sentence?

In Norwegian, ikke usually comes right after the finite verb in main clauses.

Starting with your sentence:

Noen ganger kan et problem oppstå med datamaskinen.

Negating it (for example, “Sometimes a problem cannot arise…”):

Noen ganger kan et problem ikke oppstå med datamaskinen.
(grammatical, but the idea itself is a bit odd conceptually)

More natural examples of the placement:

Noen ganger kan ikke datamaskinen starte.
– Sometimes the computer cannot start.
Noen ganger kan det ikke oppstå noe problem.
– Sometimes no problem can arise.

Pattern:
[First element] + [finite verb] + ikke + [rest of the sentence].

Why is oppstå in the infinitive form? Shouldn’t it be conjugated?

Norwegian modal verbs like kan, skal, vil, må are followed by the bare infinitive of the main verb:

kan oppstå – can arise
skal oppstå – shall / is going to arise
vil oppstå – will arise
må oppstå – must arise

So the structure is:

kan (finite modal verb, conjugated)
oppstå (infinitive form, not conjugated)

This is exactly parallel to English “can arise”, where can is finite and arise stays in the base form.

Does datamaskin always mean a regular computer, or can it also mean a phone, tablet, etc.?

datamaskin literally means “data machine”, and in practice it means a computer (desktop, laptop).

For related devices, Norwegians usually use other words:

PC / pc – “PC”, often used instead of datamaskin in everyday speech.
bærbar (datamaskin) / laptop – “laptop”.
nettbrett – “tablet”.
mobil(telefon) or mobil – “mobile phone / cell phone”.

So datamaskinen here is understood as “the computer”, not just any electronic device.

Why is Noen ganger written as two words? Could it ever be one word?

It is always written as two separate words:

noen – “some”
ganger – “times”

Together they function as an adverbial meaning “sometimes”, but the spelling remains two words: noen ganger.

You should not write it as noenganger in standard Norwegian.

Why is the noun problem singular when we might mean that many different problems can happen over time?

Norwegian often uses the singular indefinite to talk about something that can happen in general, even if it could happen multiple times:

Et problem kan oppstå. – A problem can arise.
En feil kan oppstå. – An error can occur.

This is similar to English “a problem can arise”, which doesn’t mean exactly one single unique problem, but “a problem (of some kind) can arise” on any given occasion.

You could also say:

Noen ganger kan problemer oppstå med datamaskinen.
– “Sometimes problems can arise with the computer.”

That version emphasizes the possibility of more than one problem at the same time, but both are correct; the singular is perfectly normal for expressing a general possibility.