Kjøleskapet er tomt for melk, så jeg går til butikken.

Kjøleskap means a fridge / refrigerator.

Kjøleskapet means the fridge / the refrigerator.

In Norwegian, definiteness is usually added to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the in English.

• et kjøleskap = a fridge
• kjøleskapet = the fridge

So Kjøleskapet er tomt for melk literally starts with The fridge is...

Because kjøleskapet is a neuter noun.

The base adjective is tom = empty, but Norwegian adjectives often change form depending on the noun they describe.

• en kopp er tom = a cup is empty
• et kjøleskap er tomt = a fridge is empty

Since kjøleskap is a neuter noun (et kjøleskap), the adjective takes -t:

• tom → tomt

So Kjøleskapet er tomt is grammatically matching the neuter noun.

Tom for is a very common Norwegian expression meaning empty of, without, or more naturally in English, out of.

So:

• tomt = empty
• tomt for melk = empty of milk / out of milk

This is the normal way to say that something no longer contains something.

Examples:

• Bilen er tom for bensin. = The car is out of gas.
• Skuffen er tom for sokker. = The drawer is out of socks.

So in this sentence, tomt for melk is the natural expression.

In Norwegian, mass nouns like milk, water, coffee, and bread often appear without an article, just like in English.

So:

• melk = milk
• vann = water
• kaffe = coffee

That is why you say:

• tomt for melk = out of milk

not something like tomt for en melk.

If you want to refer to a specific quantity or container, then you might add something:

• en melkekartong = a carton of milk
• melken = the milk

But here, melk is being used as a general uncountable substance.

Så means so in the sense of therefore, as a result, or and so.

The sentence has two parts:

• Kjøleskapet er tomt for melk = The fridge is out of milk
• så jeg går til butikken = so I’m going to the store

It links cause and result:

• no milk in the fridge
• therefore, I go to the store

So så works very much like English so in this sentence.

Norwegian very often uses the present tense for something happening now, very soon, or as an immediate plan.

So jeg går til butikken can mean:

• I go to the store
• I’m going to the store
• sometimes even I’ll go to the store

The exact English translation depends on context.

In this sentence, the natural English meaning is usually I’m going to the store or I’ll go to the store, even though Norwegian just uses the present tense går.

This is very common in Norwegian.

Because til shows movement toward a destination.

• gå til butikken = go to the store
• være i butikken = be in the store

So:

• Jeg går til butikken. = I’m going to the store.
• Jeg er i butikken. = I’m in the store.

A useful shortcut:

• til = direction / destination
• i = location / being inside

Butikken means the store, while butikk means store in a more general sense.

• en butikk = a store
• butikken = the store

In Norwegian, people often use the definite form when they mean a store that is understood from the situation, such as:

• the usual local store
• the store nearby
• the one both speaker and listener know about

So jeg går til butikken is very natural and often corresponds to English I’m going to the store.

This part has normal main-clause word order:

• jeg = subject
• går = verb
• til butikken = place/destination phrase

So it is simply:

jeg går til butikken
= I go / I’m going to the store

After så, Norwegian still keeps normal main-clause order here.

That is why it is:

• så jeg går...

not:

• så går jeg... in this exact structure as written

You may also see Så går jeg til butikken as a separate sentence meaning So I’m going to the store, where så is placed first and the verb comes before the subject because of Norwegian V2 word order. But in your sentence, så is linking two clauses, so så jeg går... is perfectly natural.

The infinitive is å gå, which usually means to go or to walk.

Here are some forms:

• å gå = to go
• går = go / am going
• gikk = went
• har gått = have gone / has gone

In this sentence:

• jeg går til butikken = I go / I’m going to the store

Depending on context, å gå can mean general movement, leaving, walking, or going somewhere.

A rough guide for an English speaker:

• kjøle- starts with a sound that is often close to sh or a very soft hy/sh sound in many dialects
• ø is a vowel English does not really have; it is somewhat like the vowel in French deux or German schön
• skap has a long a like ah
• -et at the end is the definite ending

A very rough approximation might be:

SHUR-leh-skah-pet

But that is only approximate. The hardest part is usually ø.

Also:

• kj in many Norwegian words is not pronounced like English k
• kjøleskap sounds quite different from how an English speaker might guess from the spelling

Yes. The sentence has two full clauses:

• Kjøleskapet er tomt for melk
• så jeg går til butikken

Since both parts can stand as complete statements, a comma is natural here.

So the punctuation helps show the pause and the connection between the two ideas:

• situation: the fridge is out of milk
• consequence: I’m going to the store

You could, and people would understand you, but it is less natural for this meaning.

• Kjøleskapet er tomt for melk = The fridge is out of milk / There’s no milk left in the fridge
• Kjøleskapet har ikke melk = more literally The fridge doesn’t have milk

The sentence with tomt for is the more idiomatic, natural choice when something has run out.

So if you want to sound more natural, tomt for melk is the better expression here.