Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Noen kolleger jobber i skift, og jeg har nattskift denne uken. - Some colleagues work in shifts, and I have the night shift this week.

noen kolleger = some colleagues / a few colleagues (unspecified how many)
It does not mean any in questions like in English. For any, Norwegian often also uses noen, but the context and sentence type (question/negative) make the meaning clear.

Compare:

Noen kolleger jobber i skift. = Some colleagues work shifts.
Har du noen kolleger som jobber i skift? = Do you have any colleagues who work shifts?

So here, noen simply means some / a few.

What is the difference between noen kolleger and noen av kollegene?

Both can be translated as some colleagues, but they focus differently:

noen kolleger
- Means some colleagues in general.
- It doesn’t explicitly say they are your colleagues, just colleagues (though context can imply that).
noen av kollegene
- Literally: some of the colleagues.
- Refers to a specific, known group (for example, the people at your workplace).

If you want to be explicit that they are your colleagues:

Noen av kollegene mine jobber i skift. = Some of my colleagues work shifts.

Why is it kolleger and not something like kollegaer? What are the forms of kollega?

Kollega is a bit irregular.

Common Bokmål pattern:

Singular indefinite: en kollega = a colleague
Singular definite: kollegaen = the colleague
Plural indefinite: kolleger = colleagues
Plural definite: kollegene = the colleagues

So in this sentence:

noen kolleger = some colleagues (plural indefinite).

You might see kollegaer in speech or informal writing, but kolleger is the standard plural form.

Why do you say jobber i skift? Could I say jobber skift or something else?

Jobbe i skift is a common way to say to work in shifts / to work shifts.

å jobbe i skift = to work in shifts (general description of shift work)

Alternative, also common:

å jobbe skift (without i) – many speakers say this too.
- Mange kolleger jobber skift.

So both:

Noen kolleger jobber i skift
Noen kolleger jobber skift

are acceptable and normal.

You may also hear:

å jobbe skiftarbeid = to do shift work (more technical).

What is the difference between skift, vakt and turnus?

All relate to work schedules, but they’re used differently:

skift
- A work shift in an industrial/production sense or in systems with day/evening/night shifts.
- Also used in the general phrase jobbe (i) skift.
vakt
- A shift in the sense of duty or being on watch:
  - Jeg har nattevakt. = I’m on night duty / I have the night watch.
- Often used in healthcare, security, emergency services.
turnus
- The overall shift rota/schedule, or rotating pattern over a longer period.
- turnusarbeid = rotational shift work (e.g. nurses’ schedules).

In this sentence, nattskift emphasizes the type of shift (night shift). You could also say nattevakt in many contexts.

Why is it har nattskift and not jobber nattskift? Which verb is more natural?

Both are possible, and both are natural:

Jeg har nattskift denne uken.
- Literally: I have the night shift this week.
- Very common way to talk about which shift is assigned to you.
Jeg jobber nattskift denne uken.
- Literally: I work night shift this week.
- Also correct; focuses a bit more on the activity of working nights.

Nuance:

har nattskift = focuses on having/being assigned that shift.
jobber nattskift = focuses on working at night.

In everyday speech, har nattskift is extremely common when talking about the schedule.

Why is nattskift written as one word and not natt skift or natt skifte?

Norwegian normally writes compound nouns as one word.

natt (night) + skift (shift) → nattskift (night shift)

Writing it as natt skift would look ungrammatical, like two separate words.

Forms:

Singular indefinite: et nattskift = a night shift
Singular definite: nattskiftet = the night shift
Plural indefinite: nattskift = night shifts
Plural definite: nattskiftene = the night shifts

In the sentence, nattskift is an indefinite singular object of har:

jeg har nattskift denne uken = I have (the) night shift this week.

Why is the present tense (jobber, har) used with denne uken to talk about this week (including the future)?

In Norwegian, the present tense is often used for:

Actions happening now
Actions that cover a current period (like this week)
Planned or scheduled near-future events

So:

Jeg har nattskift denne uken.
= I have night shift this week (it either already started or is scheduled for this week).

You could also say:

Jeg skal ha nattskift denne uken.
= I’m going to have night shift this week (slightly more explicitly future).

But the simple present with a time expression (denne uken) is completely normal and very common.

Why is it denne uken and not denne uke or i denne uken?

Three points:

Definite form
- uke (week) → definite: uken
- With denne (this), you normally use the definite noun:
  - denne uken = this week
  - not denne uke
No preposition needed
- You don’t normally say i denne uken in this context.
- You just say denne uken to mean this week (as a time period).
Natural patterns:
- denne uken = this week
- forrige uke = last week (here no definite ending)
- neste uke = next week

So denne uken is the standard way to say this week in Bokmål.

I’ve seen denne uka instead of denne uken. What is the difference?

Both are correct Bokmål; the difference is style and formality:

denne uken
- More standard / formal Bokmål.
- Common in writing, official texts, and neutral speech.
denne uka
- More colloquial / everyday Bokmål.
- Very common in spoken language and informal writing, especially in much of Eastern Norway.

So:

Jeg har nattskift denne uken. (neutral/formal)
Jeg har nattskift denne uka. (very natural in everyday speech)

Why is there a comma before og in Noen kolleger jobber i skift, og jeg har nattskift denne uken?

In Norwegian, you normally put a comma between two main clauses joined by og.

Here the sentence has two main clauses:

Noen kolleger jobber i skift
jeg har nattskift denne uken

Each has its own subject and verb:

Noen kolleger – jobber
jeg – har

Therefore, a comma is used:

Noen kolleger jobber i skift, og jeg har nattskift denne uken.

If og just connects two words or short phrases (not full clauses), there is usually no comma:

Noen kolleger har dag- og nattskift. (no comma)

Could I reverse the clauses and say Jeg har nattskift denne uken, og noen kolleger jobber i skift? Does the meaning change?

Yes, you can reverse them:

Jeg har nattskift denne uken, og noen kolleger jobber i skift.

Grammatically it’s fine. The basic meaning stays the same, but:

Original: Noen kolleger jobber i skift, og jeg har nattskift denne uken.
- Starts with a general fact about some colleagues, then adds something about me.
Reversed: Jeg har nattskift denne uken, og noen kolleger jobber i skift.
- Starts with my situation, then adds a more general comment.

So the difference is mostly about focus and emphasis, not grammar.

How do you pronounce skift and nattskift?

Very roughly (using English-like hints):

skift
- sk is like sh in ship if followed by i or y in many dialects. So it often sounds like shift.
- Final ft is usually clearly pronounced.
natt
- Double t gives a short vowel and strong t, a bit like British nut but with a sharper final t.
nattskift
- The tt and sk meet: natts–skift. In fluent speech it often sounds quite close to nat-shift.
- Stress is usually on the first part: NATT-skift.

Exact pronunciation varies by dialect, but thinking “nat-shift” is a helpful approximation.