Skredderen skal legge opp kjolen.

shall

Breakdown of Skredderen skal legge opp kjolen.

• kjolen: the dress
• skredderen: the tailor
• legge opp: to hem; to shorten

Questions & Answers about Skredderen skal legge opp kjolen.

Why does skredder become skredderen?

Because -en is the definite article for many masculine nouns in Norwegian.

• en skredder = a tailor
• skredderen = the tailor

In this sentence, it is a specific tailor, so Norwegian uses the definite form directly on the noun instead of a separate word like English the.

Why does kjole become kjolen?

For the same reason: kjolen means the dress.

• en kjole = a dress
• kjolen = the dress

Norwegian often adds the definite article as a suffix:

• bil → bilen
• bok → boka / boken
• kjole → kjolen

What does skal mean here?

Skal usually means something like will, is going to, is supposed to, or shall, depending on context.

In Skredderen skal legge opp kjolen, it often suggests:

• a plan
• an arrangement
• something that is expected to happen

So it is not always a simple future tense marker. It can carry a sense of intention or obligation.

Why is it skal legge and not skal å legge?