Learn Hardcore Swedish: En normal dag jobbar jag hemifrån.

You simply have to learn the gender of each noun. Because dag is an en-word, the correct article is en, so you get en normal dag. Using ett normal dag would be incorrect.

Why is it en normal dag and not en normalt dag or en normala dag?

This is about adjective endings:

Indefinite singular: basic form
With an indefinite singular noun (like en dag), the adjective stays in its basic form:
- en normal dag
- ett stort hus (here the basic form happens to end in -t)
Definite and plural: -a form
When the noun is definite or plural, the adjective usually takes -a:
- den normala dagen = the normal day
- normala dagar = normal days
-t form = adverb / neuter singular
normalt with -t is most often an adverb (“normally”), or an adjective with an ett-word:
- Jag jobbar normalt hemifrån. = I normally work from home.
- ett normalt schema = a normal schedule (because schema is an ett-word)

So in your sentence, en normal dag is the correct combination: en-word, singular, indefinite → basic adjective form (normal).

Why does normal come before dag instead of after, like in English “day normal”?

Swedish is like English here: adjectives that describe a noun usually go before the noun.

en normal dag = a normal day
ett stort hus = a big house
en röd bil = a red car

Putting the adjective after the noun would be wrong in this structure (en dag normal is not grammatical in this context).

Why does the verb come before the subject in En normal dag jobbar jag hemifrån?

This is the Swedish V2 word order rule: in main clauses, the finite verb is always in second position, no matter what comes first.

First position: En normal dag (a time expression)
Second position: jobbar (finite verb)
Then: jag hemifrån (subject + rest)

Other examples:

Jag jobbar hemifrån. (Subject in first position → verb second)
I dag jobbar jag hemifrån. (Time first → verb still second)
Hemifrån jobbar jag inte. (Place first → verb still second)

So jobbar jag is forced by Swedish word order, not emphasis.

Could I also say Jag jobbar hemifrån en normal dag? What’s the difference?

You can say Jag jobbar hemifrån en normal dag, but:

It sounds more natural if you add more context, e.g.
- Jag jobbar hemifrån en normal dag i veckan. = I work from home on a normal day each week.
On its own, En normal dag jobbar jag hemifrån feels more idiomatic as a general statement about your usual routine.

Position affects focus:

En normal dag jobbar jag hemifrån.
→ Emphasises when you work from home; contrasts with special or unusual days.
Jag jobbar hemifrån en normal dag.
→ Starts with I work from home, then adds the time information afterward; in isolation, it feels incomplete unless the context is clear.

Can I add på and say På en normal dag jobbar jag hemifrån? Is there a difference?

Yes, På en normal dag jobbar jag hemifrån is also correct.

With på:
- På en normal dag jobbar jag hemifrån.
  This sounds a bit closer to English “On a normal day…” and is slightly more explicit/formal.
Without på:
- En normal dag jobbar jag hemifrån.
  Very natural in spoken Swedish; time expressions without a preposition are common.

Both are fine; in everyday speech, leaving out på is very common.

What tense is jobbar, and does it mean “I work” or “I am working”?

Jobbar is the present tense of jobba.

In Swedish, the present tense covers both English present simple and present continuous:

Jag jobbar hemifrån.
- can mean I work from home (in general/habitually)
- or I am working from home (right now / these days)

The exact meaning comes from context, not from a different verb form.

What’s the difference between jobbar and arbetar?

Both mean to work, but they differ in style:

jobba / jobbar
- More informal, very common in everyday speech.
- Jag jobbar hemifrån.
arbeta / arbetar
- More formal or neutral; common in writing, official contexts, or more serious tone.
- Jag arbetar hemifrån.

In this sentence, En normal dag jobbar jag hemifrån sounds very natural and conversational.

Why is it hemifrån and not hemma or hem?

These three words are related but not interchangeable:

hemifrån = from home (origin)
- Focus on the starting point.
- Jag jobbar hemifrån. = I work from home.
- Jag åker hemifrån klockan åtta. = I leave home at eight.
hemma = at home (location, static)
- Jag jobbar hemma. = I work at home.
hem = (to) home (direction, movement)
- Jag går hem. = I’m going home.

In your sentence, hemifrån is used because the idea is “I work from home” (origin), not simply “at home” or “to home”.

Is hemifrån one word? What kind of word is it, and why doesn’t it need an article?

Yes, hemifrån is written as one word.

It functions as an adverb (or sometimes called an adverbial particle), describing where/from where the action happens.
Because it’s an adverb, it doesn’t take an article or plural, just like English “homeward”, “outside”, etc.

Compare:

Jag jobbar hemifrån. (adverb, no article)
Jag jobbar från hemmet. (preposition från
- noun hemmet with article -et)

How would I say “On normal days I work from home”? How do adjectives change in the plural?

For plural, both the noun and the adjective change:

Normala dagar jobbar jag hemifrån.
= On normal days I work from home.

Here’s the pattern with dag + normal:

Singular, indefinite: en normal dag = a normal day
Singular, definite: den normala dagen = the normal day
Plural, indefinite: normala dagar = normal days
Plural, definite: de normala dagarna = the normal days

In plural, the adjective takes -a: normala.