I prøvetiden legger hun ekstra merke til arbeidsmiljøet og til hvordan kollegene snakker med hverandre.

It is the preposition i, meaning in or during here. It is only capitalized because it is the first word of the sentence.

So:

• i prøvetiden = during the probationary period

Because Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb usually comes in the second position.

Here, I prøvetiden has been moved to the front for emphasis or context, so the verb legger must come next, and the subject hun comes after it.

Compare:

• Hun legger ekstra merke til ... i prøvetiden.
• I prøvetiden legger hun ekstra merke til ...

Both are correct, but the second one highlights during the probationary period.

Prøvetid means probationary period or trial period.

Prøvetiden means the probationary period.

In this sentence, it refers to a specific probation period, so the definite form is natural. Norwegian often uses the definite form for a known, specific time period.

So:

• prøvetid = probation / a probationary period
• prøvetiden = the probationary period

Å legge merke til is a fixed expression meaning to notice or to pay attention to.

It is best learned as a whole expression, not word by word.

Examples:

• Hun legger merke til det. = She notices it.
• Hun la merke til det. = She noticed it.

When the verb is conjugated, the first part changes form:

• legge
• legger
• la
• lagt

But merke til stays as part of the expression.

Because only the verb part, legger, moves into the normal verb position in the sentence. The rest of the expression, merke til, stays later in the clause.

So:

• infinitive: å legge merke til
• present: hun legger merke til
• past: hun la merke til

This kind of splitting is very common with Norwegian verb expressions.

Because both parts belong to legge merke til:

• arbeidsmiljøet
• hvordan kollegene snakker med hverandre

Repeating til makes the structure clearer, especially because the second part is a clause, not just another noun phrase.

So the sentence is basically:

• she notices the work environment
• and she notices how the colleagues talk to each other

Because Norwegian usually writes compound nouns as one word.

Here:

• arbeid = work
• miljø = environment

Together they form:

• arbeidsmiljø = work environment

The -s- is a common linking sound in compounds.

This is very normal in Norwegian. English often writes such expressions as two words, but Norwegian usually combines them into one.

It is the definite ending for a neuter noun.

• et arbeidsmiljø = a work environment
• arbeidsmiljøet = the work environment

So the sentence is talking about a specific work environment, namely the one at her workplace.

Here, ekstra means something like especially, more than usual, or with extra attention.

It modifies the whole idea of legger merke til.

So the meaning is not just that she notices these things, but that she pays special attention to them during the probation period.

Because hvordan introduces a full subordinate clause: how the colleagues talk.

A full clause needs:

• a subject: kollegene
• a finite verb: snakker

So:

• hvordan kollegene snakker = how the colleagues talk

If you used å snakke, that would mean how to talk, which is a different idea.

Kollegene is the definite plural form, meaning the colleagues or the coworkers.

Base forms:

• en kollega = a colleague
• kolleger / kollegaer = colleagues
• kollegene / kollegaene = the colleagues

In this sentence, it means the specific coworkers in that workplace, so the definite form is natural.

Hverandre means each other or one another.

So:

• med hverandre = with each other

With snakke, Norwegian normally uses med:

• snakke med noen = talk to/with someone

So kollegene snakker med hverandre means the colleagues talk to each other.

Norwegian uses med here even though English often says to each other.