Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Nede på fabrikkgulvet går samlebåndet sakte når det er få ansatte. - Down on the factory floor the assembly line moves slowly when there are few employees.

Nede på fabrikkgulvet går samlebåndet sakte når det er få ansatte.

Down on the factory floor the assembly line moves slowly when there are few employees.

Breakdown of Nede på fabrikkgulvet går samlebåndet sakte når det er få ansatte.

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Questions & Answers about Nede på fabrikkgulvet går samlebåndet sakte når det er få ansatte.

Why does the sentence start with Nede på fabrikkgulvet instead of putting it later, like Samlebåndet går sakte nede på fabrikkgulvet?

Norwegian usually has verb-second word order in main clauses: some element first, then the conjugated verb.

In your sentence, the first element is the place expression Nede på fabrikkgulvet, so the verb must come next:

Nede på fabrikkgulvet går samlebåndet sakte …
(Place phrase first → verb går second → subject samlebåndet third.)

If you start with the subject, you get the more neutral word order:

Samlebåndet går sakte nede på fabrikkgulvet når det er få ansatte.

Both are correct. Starting with Nede på fabrikkgulvet just emphasizes the location, often used to set the scene: Down on the factory floor…

What is the difference between ned and nede, and why is it nede here?

Ned and nede are related but used differently:

ned = movement down(wards)
- Jeg går ned. – I’m going down.
- Han kastet ballen ned. – He threw the ball down.
nede = position down (there), already at a lower place
- Jeg er nede. – I am downstairs/down there.
- Hun sitter nede ved elva. – She is sitting down by the river.

In the sentence Nede på fabrikkgulvet …, we are describing a location, not a movement, so nede is correct. It means down on the factory floor (as a place).

Why is fabrikkgulvet one long word, and what does the -et at the end mean?

Norwegian, like German, loves compound nouns:

fabrikk = factory
gulv = floor
fabrikkgulv = factory floor

Then we add the definite article:

et fabrikkgulv = a factory floor
fabrikkgulvet = the factory floor

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually a suffix on the noun (or the last part of the compound), not a separate word like the in English.

So fabrikkgulvet literally means the factory-floor.

Why is the verb går used about a conveyor belt? Doesn’t gå mean “to walk”?

Yes, gå does mean to walk, but it also has a broader meaning: to go, to run, to function, to be in motion.

Norwegian often uses gå for machines, clocks, processes, etc.:

Klokka går sakte. – The clock runs slowly.
Maskinen går hele natta. – The machine runs all night.
Filmen går på kino. – The movie is playing at the cinema.

So Samlebåndet går sakte is very natural Norwegian for:

The conveyor belt/assembly line moves slowly
The line runs slowly

You could also say Samlebåndet beveger seg sakte, but går sakte sounds more idiomatic and shorter.

Why is it går samlebåndet and not samlebåndet går right after Nede på fabrikkgulvet?

This is the verb-second rule in Norwegian main clauses:

One element (subject, time, place, etc.) comes first.
The finite verb (conjugated verb) comes second.
The subject comes next (unless it was already first).

Here:

First element: Nede på fabrikkgulvet (place)
Second element (verb): går
Third element (subject): samlebåndet

So:

Nede på fabrikkgulvet går samlebåndet sakte … ✅
Nede på fabrikkgulvet samlebåndet går sakte … ❌ (breaks V2 rule)

What exactly does samlebåndet mean? Is it “conveyor belt” or “assembly line”?

Samlebånd is a compound:

samle = to gather/assemble
bånd = band, strip, belt
samlebånd = assembly line / conveyor belt

With the definite ending:

samlebåndet = the assembly line / the conveyor belt.

In many contexts, samlebåndet can mean both the physical belt and the functioning assembly line. In a factory context, the assembly line is usually the best translation.

What is the difference between sakte and langsomt? Could I say Samlebåndet går langsomt?

Both sakte and langsomt mean slowly, and both are correct here:

Samlebåndet går sakte.
Samlebåndet går langsomt.

Some nuances:

sakte is very common and a bit more informal/everyday.
langsomt can feel slightly more formal or bookish, but is also normal.

In modern spoken Norwegian, sakte is probably more frequent. In writing, you will see both.

Why is it det er få ansatte and not something like de er få ansatte or det er få av de ansatte?

This is the Norwegian existential “there is/there are” construction, which almost always uses det er:

Det er mange folk her. – There are many people here.
Det er ingen ledige plasser. – There are no free seats.

So:

Når det er få ansatte = when there are few employees.

Compare:

De er få. – They are few. (Refers to a specific group you have already mentioned; less common in everyday speech.)
Det er få av de ansatte. – There are few of the employees. (Refers to a known group of employees; more specific.)

In your sentence, we’re just talking generally about how many employees are present, not about a particular, previously mentioned group, so det er få ansatte is the natural choice.

What’s the nuance of få ansatte compared with noen ansatte or mange ansatte?

These words express quantity and attitude:

mange ansatte = many employees (clearly a large number, neutral or positive)
noen ansatte = some employees (an unspecified number, neutral)
få ansatte = few employees (a small number, with a slightly negative nuance, like “not many”)

So få is often similar to English few (with the idea “too few / disappointingly few” implied by context).

In the sentence går samlebåndet sakte når det er få ansatte, the idea is that the number of employees is insufficient, which is why the line runs slowly.

What exactly is ansatte here – an adjective or a noun? And why is there no article before it?

Ansatt originally means employed (an adjective/participle), but in Norwegian it is very commonly used as a noun:

en ansatt = an employee
ansatte = employees (indefinite plural)
de ansatte = the employees (definite plural, with article de)

In få ansatte, ansatte is an indefinite plural noun: employees in general.

Norwegian normally doesn’t use an article for indefinite plural:

bøker = books
barn = children
ansatte = employees

That’s why it’s få ansatte, not få de ansatte (that would be few of the employees, referring to a specific known group).

Could I say På fabrikken går samlebåndet sakte når det er få ansatte instead of Nede på fabrikkgulvet? What is the difference?

Yes, you can say:

På fabrikken går samlebåndet sakte når det er få ansatte. – At the factory, the assembly line runs slowly when there are few employees.

However, Nede på fabrikkgulvet is more specific and vivid:

På fabrikken = at the factory (anywhere in or around it)
Nede på fabrikkgulvet = down on the factory floor (the actual production area)

So Nede på fabrikkgulvet focuses your attention on the shop floor, where the machines and workers are, not just the factory as a whole building or company.

Do I need a comma before når, like … sakte, når det er få ansatte?

In modern Bokmål, you normally do not put a comma before når here:

Nede på fabrikkgulvet går samlebåndet sakte når det er få ansatte. ✅

You add a comma when the subordinate clause (the når-clause) comes first:

Når det er få ansatte, går samlebåndet sakte. ✅

So: subordinate clause first → comma after it; subordinate clause last → usually no comma before it.

What is the difference between når det er få ansatte and hvis det er få ansatte?

Both can be translated with English when/if, but there is a nuance:

når det er få ansatte
- Describes something that happens regularly or typically whenever that condition is true.
- Whenever there are few employees, the line runs slowly.
hvis det er få ansatte
- More like a condition or hypothetical: if there are few employees (then this might happen).

In your sentence, når is better because it feels like a repeated, general rule: Down on the factory floor, the assembly line runs slowly when there are few employees (that’s how it normally works).