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Først når pastaen er ferdig, rører jeg inn en varm saus.

Først når pastaen er ferdig, rører jeg inn en varm saus.
Only when the pasta is ready do I stir in a warm sauce.

Breakdown of Først når pastaen er ferdig, rører jeg inn en varm saus.

jeg
I
være
to be
en
a
varm
warm
først når
only when
pastaen
the pasta
ferdig
ready
røre inn
to stir in
sausen
the sauce
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Questions & Answers about Først når pastaen er ferdig, rører jeg inn en varm saus.

Why does the sentence start with Først når …? What nuance does først add?

Først når … means something like not until/only when … (then) …. It emphasizes that the action in the main clause happens after the condition is met, and not before.
Compare:

  • Når pastaen er ferdig, rører jeg inn en varm saus. = When the pasta is done, I stir in a warm sauce. (neutral timing)
  • Først når pastaen er ferdig, rører jeg inn en varm saus. = Only when the pasta is done do I stir in a warm sauce. (stronger “not before that”)
Why is there a comma after ferdig?

Because the sentence begins with a dependent clause (Når pastaen er ferdig), and Norwegian normally uses a comma to separate that fronted dependent clause from the main clause:
Først når pastaen er ferdig, rører jeg …
If the dependent clause comes last, you often don’t use a comma:

  • Jeg rører inn en varm saus først når pastaen er ferdig.
Why is the word order rører jeg and not jeg rører?

This is the Norwegian V2 rule in action: in a main clause, the finite verb (here rører) must be in the second position.
Since the sentence starts with a long element (Først når pastaen er ferdig), that first position is already “taken”, so the verb comes next, and the subject (jeg) moves after it:

  • Først når pastaen er ferdig, rører jeg …

If you start with the subject, you get normal English-like order:

  • Jeg rører inn en varm saus først når pastaen er ferdig.
Inside når pastaen er ferdig, why is it pastaen er (subject before verb)?

Because når introduces a subordinate clause, and subordinate clauses usually keep normal S–V order in Norwegian:

  • … når pastaen er ferdig (= when the pasta is done)

The V2 inversion you see (rører jeg) applies to the main clause, not the subordinate clause.

What does er ferdig mean here? Is it the same as “is finished”?

Å være ferdig is a very common Norwegian expression meaning to be done/ready/finished, depending on context.
With food, it typically means done cooking:

  • Pastaen er ferdig. = The pasta is done.

You could also be more specific, e.g. Pastaen er ferdigkokt (fully boiled), but er ferdig is the natural everyday choice.

Why is it pastaen (definite) and not just pasta?

Pastaen is definite singular: the pasta (the specific pasta you’re cooking). Norwegian often uses the definite form when talking about a specific, known thing in the situation.
You can see pasta (indefinite/mass-noun style) in some contexts, but pastaen sounds very natural when you mean “the pasta in the pot right now”.

What does rører … inn mean, and why is inn separated from the verb?

Røre inn means to stir in (mix something into something else so it becomes incorporated).
Norwegian often has verb + particle combinations (like English stir in, put on, take off). The particle (inn) commonly appears after the object:

  • Jeg rører inn en varm saus. = I stir in a warm sauce.

You may also see the particle placed right after the verb in some structures, but verb + object + particle is very common.

Where is the “into it” part? Shouldn’t it say what you stir the sauce into?

Norwegian can leave that implied when it’s obvious from context. Here, it’s understood as into the pasta.
If you want to state it explicitly, you can add a phrase like:

  • … rører jeg en varm saus inn i pastaen. = … I stir a warm sauce into the pasta.

Both are fine; the original sentence is just more concise.

Why is it en varm saus and not en varme saus?

Because varm is the correct form for common gender singular indefinite (which matches en saus):

  • en varm saus = a warm sauce

You’d get varme in definite or plural contexts:

  • den varme sausen = the warm sauce
  • varme sauser = warm sauces
Could I say Bare når pastaen er ferdig, … instead of Først når …?

Yes, but the nuance changes slightly:

  • Først når … strongly implies not until then (a step-by-step sequence).
  • Bare når … means only if/only when … and can sound more like a condition or restriction.

In cooking instructions, først når is especially common for “wait until X, then do Y.”