Frisøren sa at en kort lugg passer bedre når jeg bruker hårstrikk på jobb.

Because it means the hairdresser, not a hairdresser.

In Norwegian, definiteness is usually built into the noun with an ending:

• en frisør = a hairdresser
• frisøren = the hairdresser

So Frisøren sa ... means the speaker is talking about a specific, known hairdresser.

Sa is the past tense of å si = to say.

The verb forms are:

• å si = to say
• sier = says / is saying
• sa = said
• har sagt = has said

So Frisøren sa = The hairdresser said.

At introduces a subordinate clause and means that.

So:

• Frisøren sa at ... = The hairdresser said that ...

In English, that is often omitted. In Norwegian, at can sometimes also be left out in casual speech, but keeping it is very normal and clear.

Lugg means fringe or bangs.

What often feels strange to English speakers is that Norwegian commonly uses a singular noun here:

• en lugg = a fringe / bangs

English usually says bangs in the plural, but Norwegian uses lugg as a singular count noun. So en kort lugg is completely normal.

Because lugg is an en-noun (masculine/common gender), so the indefinite singular form takes en:

• en lugg
• luggen

The adjective kort is the correct form before the noun here.

A small extra point: with this particular adjective, the form does not visibly change in a way that helps much, because kort already has that spelling. So the clearest clue is really the article en.

Here passer means something like:

• suits
• works better
• looks better
• is more suitable

It comes from å passe, which can have several meanings depending on context. In this sentence, it is about what hairstyle suits the speaker better.

So en kort lugg passer bedre means that a short fringe/bangs is more flattering or more suitable.

Bedre means better. It is the comparative form of bra.

• bra = good / well
• bedre = better
• best = best

So passer bedre = suits better.

The sentence does not explicitly say better than what, but that comparison is understood from the context, probably compared with a different kind of fringe or hairstyle.

Because når is the natural choice for when in a general or repeated situation.

Here it means something like when I wear/use a hair tie at work, as a regular circumstance.

Compare:

• når = when
• hvis = if
• da = then / when (often referring to a specific past situation)

So:

• når jeg bruker hårstrikk på jobb = when I use/wear a hair tie at work

This sounds like a habitual situation, not a hypothetical one, so når fits best.

Because Norwegian often leaves out the article when talking about something in a general, non-specific way, especially with things you use, wear, or have.

So:

• jeg bruker hårstrikk = I use/wear a hair tie / hair ties
• jeg bruker en hårstrikk = I use a hair tie, with more focus on one specific hair tie or on the fact that it is a single item

In this sentence, hårstrikk is understood more generically: the speaker uses that kind of thing at work.

Also, in natural English, wear a hair tie may sound more natural than use a hair tie, even though Norwegian uses bruker.

På jobb means at work.

This is a fixed, very common expression in Norwegian:

• være på jobb = be at work
• dra på jobb = go to work

For English speakers, the preposition can seem odd, but you usually just learn it as a set phrase. Norwegian often uses på in expressions connected to work, school, and similar activities/places.

Important contrast:

• på jobb = at work
• i jobb = in work / employed

So here på jobb is the correct choice.

The sentence has one main clause and two subordinate clauses:

• Frisøren sa = main clause
• at en kort lugg passer bedre = subordinate clause introduced by at
• når jeg bruker hårstrikk på jobb = subordinate clause introduced by når

A useful rule is:

• In a main clause, Norwegian normally has the finite verb in second position.
• In a subordinate clause, Norwegian does not use that main-clause V2 pattern in the same way.

That is why you get normal subject + verb order after at and når:

• at en kort lugg passer bedre
• når jeg bruker hårstrikk på jobb

A good way to see this is with ikke:

• Main clause: Jeg bruker ikke hårstrikk.
• Subordinate clause: ... når jeg ikke bruker hårstrikk.

In subordinate clauses, ikke comes before the finite verb. That is a very important word-order pattern in Norwegian.