Vi tar vare på hverandre når livet er vanskelig.

Ta vare på is a very common Norwegian expression meaning to take care of, to look after, or sometimes to care for.

So:

• Vi tar vare på hverandre = We take care of each other

Word-for-word, it looks a bit strange:

• ta = take
• vare = care / keeping / protection in this expression
• på = on

But you should learn ta vare på as a fixed expression, not by translating each word separately.

Because ta vare på is a set expression, and på is part of it.

Just like English has multi-word verbs such as:

• look after
• take care of
• put up with

Norwegian also has verbs and expressions that include prepositions. Here, the full phrase is:

• ta vare på noen/noe = take care of someone/something

Examples:

• Hun tar vare på barna. = She takes care of the children.
• Vi må ta vare på naturen. = We must take care of nature.

So på is not optional.

Hverandre means each other.

It is a reciprocal pronoun, used when two or more people do something to one another.

So:

• Vi tar vare på hverandre = We take care of each other

More examples:

• De elsker hverandre. = They love each other.
• Vi hjelper hverandre. = We help each other.

As an English speaker, it is useful to think of hverandre as a single unit meaning each other.

Because oss means us, while hverandre means each other.

Compare:

• De hjelper oss. = They help us.
• Vi hjelper hverandre. = We help each other.

In your sentence, the meaning is reciprocal: the people in vi are caring for one another, not just for themselves as a group. That is why hverandre is the natural choice.

Livet is the definite form of liv, so literally it is the life.

However, Norwegian often uses the definite form where English uses just a bare noun. In this sentence:

• når livet er vanskelig = when life is difficult

This sounds natural in Norwegian. It refers to life in general, not to one specific life in a narrow sense.

Similar patterns:

• Kjærligheten er sterk. = Love is strong.
• Døden er uunngåelig. = Death is unavoidable.

So even though livet literally looks like the life, the natural English translation is simply life here.

Because vanskelig is one of the adjectives that normally does not add -t in the neuter singular.

Since liv is a neuter noun (et liv), learners often expect a neuter adjective ending. But with adjectives ending in -ig, the neuter form is usually the same as the basic form:

• en vanskelig dag
• et vanskelig liv

So:

• livet er vanskelig = life is difficult

This is normal Bokmål grammar.

Because når introduces a subordinate clause, and subordinate clauses do not follow the main-clause V2 word order that Norwegian usually has.

Main clause:

• Livet er vanskelig.

Question:

• Når er livet vanskelig? = When is life difficult?

Subordinate clause:

• når livet er vanskelig = when life is difficult

So after når, the normal pattern is:

• conjunction + subject + verb

That is why livet er is correct here.

Here når means when in a general or repeated sense.

The sentence expresses a general truth or typical situation:

• Vi tar vare på hverandre når livet er vanskelig.
• We take care of each other when life is difficult.

Da is more often used for a specific time in the past or a specific occasion:

• Da livet var vanskelig, hjalp de meg.
• When life was difficult, they helped me.

So in your sentence, når is the right choice because it sounds general and timeless.

The present tense in Norwegian is often used for:

• general truths
• habits
• things that usually happen
• statements with a timeless meaning

So Vi tar vare på hverandre når livet er vanskelig does not have to mean only right now. It can mean something like:

• This is what we do
• We take care of each other whenever life gets hard

This is very similar to English, where the present tense can also express general truths.

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• når livet er vanskelig = when life is difficult
• når livet blir vanskelig = when life becomes difficult

So:

• er describes a state
• blir describes a change into that state

Your original sentence focuses on the situation itself: life is hard. With blir, the sentence would focus more on the moment or process of things turning difficult.

Both are natural, but they are not exactly the same.

It can definitely include both.

Depending on context, ta vare på hverandre can suggest:

• caring for one another physically
• helping and protecting each other
• giving emotional support
• being considerate and kind

So it is often broader than just practical care. In many contexts, it has a warm, human meaning close to:

• look after each other
• take care of each other
• be there for each other

This is the normal place for it.

In ta vare på hverandre, the object hverandre comes after the whole expression. That is the standard pattern:

• ta vare på noen
• ta vare på hverandre
• ta vare på barna

So you should treat it as one chunk:

• tar vare på hverandre

That will help you avoid unnatural word order.

It is a very natural and idiomatic sentence. It does not sound unusually formal.

It could appear in:

• everyday speech
• a speech or presentation
• a school text
• a charity or community message
• social media or public information

It has a warm and slightly thoughtful tone, but it is completely normal Norwegian.