Han tar fagbrev mens han jobber på fabrikkgulvet.

He is taking a trade certificate while he works on the factory floor.

Breakdown of Han tar fagbrev mens han jobber på fabrikkgulvet.

• han: he
• jobbe: to work
• på: on
• mens: while
• ta: to take
• fabrikkgulvet: the factory floor
• fagbrevet: the trade certificate

Questions & Answers about Han tar fagbrev mens han jobber på fabrikkgulvet.

What does tar mean in Han tar fagbrev? I thought ta means “take”.

Literally, å ta does mean “to take”, but in Norwegian it’s also used for doing / completing / getting certain kinds of education or qualifications.

Some common patterns:

• ta fagbrev – do / work towards / get a vocational certificate
• ta eksamen – take an exam
• ta mastergrad – do a master’s degree
• ta kurs – take a course

So Han tar fagbrev is best understood as “He is doing/working towards a vocational certificate” or “He is getting his trade certificate”, not “He is taking a certificate in his hand.”

What exactly is a fagbrev? Is it like a degree?

A fagbrev is a vocational trade certificate in a specific craft or profession, usually after an apprenticeship. Examples:

• electrician
• plumber
• carpenter
• industrial mechanic

It is:

• normally at upper secondary level (not a university degree)
• an official proof that you’re fully qualified in that trade

So it’s more like “an official trade qualification / journeyman’s certificate” than an academic degree.

Is tar fagbrev something he is doing right now, or just a general fact? There’s no -ing form in Norwegian.

Norwegian doesn’t have a separate -ing (progressive) tense the way English does. The present tense can cover several English uses:

• Han tar fagbrev
  = He is taking a vocational certificate / He is working toward a vocational certificate (right now / these years).
  = He takes a vocational certificate (general statement, if context supports that).

In this sentence, context strongly suggests an ongoing process over time, so the natural English translation is “He is doing a trade certificate” or “He is getting his vocational qualification”.

Why do we say Han tar fagbrev mens han jobber …? Can’t we leave out the second han and say Han tar fagbrev mens jobber på fabrikkgulvet?

You cannot drop the subject in the mens–clause here. Each finite verb in Norwegian needs an explicit subject:

• Correct: Han tar fagbrev mens han jobber på fabrikkgulvet.
• Incorrect: ✗ Han tar fagbrev mens jobber på fabrikkgulvet.

The reason:

• mens han jobber på fabrikkgulvet is a full subordinate clause.
• Subordinate clauses in Norwegian must have their own subject (here: han) and verb (jobber).

Norwegian does not generally allow dropping subjects the way Spanish or Italian might.

Can mens also go at the beginning, like Mens han jobber på fabrikkgulvet, tar han fagbrev? Is there any difference?

Yes, that’s perfectly correct:

• Han tar fagbrev mens han jobber på fabrikkgulvet.
• Mens han jobber på fabrikkgulvet, tar han fagbrev.

Both are grammatical and mean the same thing: “He is doing a vocational certificate while he is working on the factory floor.”

The difference is mostly about focus and style:

• Starting with Mens han jobber på fabrikkgulvet puts extra emphasis on the circumstance (“While he’s working on the factory floor…”).
• In everyday speech, the original order (main clause first) is slightly more common, but both are natural.

What exactly does mens mean here? Can it also mean “whereas” or “but”?

In this sentence, mens means “while”, expressing two actions happening at the same time:

• Han tar fagbrev mens han jobber på fabrikkgulvet.
  = He is getting his vocational certificate while he is working on the factory floor.

mens can also mean “whereas” when contrasting two things:

• Hun liker å jobbe på kontor, mens han trives på fabrikkgulvet.
  = She likes working in an office, whereas he thrives on the factory floor.

So:

• Here: temporal “while” (simultaneous actions).
• In other contexts: contrast “whereas”.

Why is it jobber and not arbeider? What is the difference?

Both å jobbe and å arbeide mean “to work”, but they differ in style and frequency:

• jobbe

  • more informal / everyday
  • very common in spoken Norwegian
  • used in most casual contexts: Jeg jobber på fabrikk.

• arbeide

  • slightly more formal or written
  • often used in official documents, written language, or when you want a more formal tone: Han arbeider i industrien.

In this everyday-style sentence, Han tar fagbrev mens han jobber på fabrikkgulvet, jobber is the most natural choice. You could say arbeider, but it sounds more formal and less conversational.

Why is it på fabrikkgulvet and not i fabrikkgulvet or på fabrikken?

Here’s what the options mean:

• på fabrikkgulvet

  • literally: on the factory floor (physically on that floor)
  • idiomatically: working out in production, in the shop/plant area (as opposed to in the office or management)
  • This is exactly the nuance here: he works in the production area.

• på fabrikken

  • literally: at the factory
  • broader: anywhere in that factory (office, canteen, warehouse, floor, etc.)
  • Less specific than på fabrikkgulvet.

• i fabrikkgulvet

  • would mean inside the factory floor itself (inside the physical floor), so it’s wrong in this context.

So på fabrikkgulvet is used because it captures both the location and the role: he is actually one of the people working on the production floor.

Does fabrikkgulvet literally mean “factory floor”, or is it an idiom?

Both:

• Literally: fabrikk = factory, gulv = floor, -et = definite ending (“the”).
  So fabrikkgulvet = “the factory floor”.

• Idiomatically in work contexts, på fabrikkgulvet often implies:

  • working in production, with machines or manual tasks
  • being among the rank‑and‑file workers, not in management or offices

So the sentence suggests he is doing his vocational training while still working as a regular production worker.

How do you pronounce fagbrev, and what gender is it? How do you inflect it?

Pronunciation (approximate):

• fagbrev ≈ FAHG-brehv
  
  • fag: like English “fahg” (long a, as in father but shorter and tenser)
  • brev: like English “brehv” (short e as in bed, final v clearly pronounced)

Gender and forms:

fagbrev is neuter (intetkjønn).

• Indefinite singular: et fagbrev – a vocational certificate
• Definite singular: fagbrevet – the vocational certificate
• Indefinite plural: fagbrev – vocational certificates
• Definite plural: fagbrevene – the vocational certificates

In the sentence, fagbrev is indefinite singular, but without et, because with ta it’s treated as a sort of fixed expression: å ta fagbrev.

Is the word order han jobber in the mens‑clause always like that? I thought Norwegian verbs often come in second position.

Norwegian has different word‑order rules for main clauses and subordinate clauses:

• In main clauses, Norwegian is a V2 language: the verb normally comes in second position:

  • Han jobber på fabrikkgulvet.
  • I dag jobber han på fabrikkgulvet. (adverbial first, then verb)

• In subordinate clauses (introduced by mens, at, fordi, når, etc.), the usual order is:

  • Subject – Verb – (Object / Adverbials)
  • mens han jobber på fabrikkgulvet
    
    • subject: han
    • verb: jobber

So in a mens‑clause you normally say han jobber, not jobber han.

Could we say Han tar fagbrev mens han er på fabrikkgulvet instead of mens han jobber på fabrikkgulvet? Would that change the meaning?

You can say it, but the nuance changes slightly:

• mens han jobber på fabrikkgulvet

  • emphasises that he is working (doing his job) there
  • suggests he’s employed in a production role while studying

• mens han er på fabrikkgulvet

  • literally: “while he is on the factory floor”
  • more about being present there physically
  • doesn’t necessarily state that he is working (though it’s usually implied)

In normal usage, if you want to stress that he is holding a job while studying, mens han jobber på fabrikkgulvet is clearer and more natural.