Vi kan bære opp flytteesken.

We can carry the moving box upstairs.

Breakdown of Vi kan bære opp flytteesken.

• vi: we
• kunne: can
• flytteesken: the moving box
• bære opp: to carry upstairs

Questions & Answers about Vi kan bære opp flytteesken.

Why is there no å before bære?

Because kan is a modal verb. In Norwegian, modal verbs such as kan, vil, skal, må, and bør are normally followed by the bare infinitive without å.

So you get:

• Vi kan bære opp flytteesken.
• not Vi kan å bære opp flytteesken.

This is similar to English can carry, not can to carry.

What does kan mean here?

Kan usually means can, am/is/are able to, or sometimes know how to, depending on context.

In this sentence, it most naturally means:

• we can
• we are able to

So Vi kan bære opp flytteesken means that we are able to carry the moving box up or we can carry the moving box upstairs/up.

Why is it bære opp and not just bære?